Battle of Kherson

The Kherson Battle

Liberation of Kherson for information on the Ukrainian retake of Kherson.

The Battle of Kherson

a portion of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the southern Ukraine offensive

Date: 24 February - 2 March 2022 Image: Batalla de Kherson Abril (6 days)

Location Kherson, Ukraine's Kherson Oblast

Russian triumph as a result

Parties at War Russia Russia Ukraine Ukraine units taking part

Defense Forces of Russia

The 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army[2]

126th Coastal Defense Brigade of the 22nd Army Corps[3]

Airborne Forces of Russia

Ukrainian Armed Forces 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division

59th Motorized Brigade[4]

losses and casualties

Ukraine's claim:

According to Ukraine, 300 servicemen and civilians were slain.

Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

As a part of the southern Ukraine offensive of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Battle of Kherson was a military confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian forces that started on February 24, 2022. The conflict came to a conclusion on March 2, 2022, when Russian forces took control of Kherson and a small area of land on the Dnieper River's right bank. During the 2022 invasion, it was the first significant city and the first regional capital to be taken over by Russian forces. Following that, Kherson Oblast was occupied by Russia.

A Ukrainian counteroffensive in the oblast started on August 29, 2022. On November 9, 2022, Russian soldiers were instructed to leave Kherson and cross the Dnieper. Ukrainian soldiers retook control of the region two days later.

Russian offensive and seizure of Kherson, page 1

1.1 February \s1.2 March \s2 Occupation

3 Retrenchment and abandonment

furthermore, 5 References

Russian offensive and seizure of Kherson

February

In 2006, the Antonovskiy Bridge

On February 24, Russian forces entered Kherson Oblast through Crimea. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "Our troops are engaged in severe combat near the outskirts of Kherson, the enemy is pressing from the captured Crimea, trying to move towards Melitopol."

By the evening of February 24, Russian soldiers had arrived in Kherson and had taken control of the Antonovskiy Bridge, which offers a crucial bridgehead across the Dnieper River and leads to the significant junction city of Mykolaiv.

In a violent struggle that left dead soldiers and numerous destroyed military vehicles on the bridge by the early hours of February 25, Ukrainian forces managed to retake the bridge.

The counterattack compelled the Russians to advance north and seize Nova Kakhovka, the closest Dnieper crossing.

Later in the day, [14] Russian troops again took control of the Antonovskiy Bridge.

Ihor Kolykhaiev, the mayor of Kherson, claimed on February 26 that after a Ukrainian airstrike on Russian armored vehicles, Russian forces withdrew from Kherson, leaving the city to stay under Ukrainian control.

Later, a Ukrainian official named Anton Herashchenko asserted that Ukrainian forces had routed a Russian army column close to the town of Oleshky, which is situated close to Kherson. [17] Later, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, stated that Russian forces killed a journalist and an ambulance driver near Kherson. According to Venediktova, Ukrainian law enforcement had started a criminal investigation into the shootings. [18]

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on February 27 morning that Russian soldiers had surrounded Kherson and, in accordance with Ukrainian officials, had taken control of a portion of the city, including Kherson International Airport.

In the village of Chornobaivka, to the north of Kherson, the Ukrainian Air Force purportedly carried out a successful drone strike against Russian forces later in the morning.

According to Ukrainian officials, starting on February 27, Russian forces allegedly started transferring citizens from adjacent villages toward Kherson in an effort to use them as human shields.

March

Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces had resumed their attack on Kherson early on March 1 and were moving from Kherson International Airport to the route connecting Kherson and Mykolaiv. Russian forces surrounded the city and reached the highway while shelling heavily, then advanced to the town of Komyshany before setting up a checkpoint. [24] [25] Later in the day, Russian forces entered Kherson. [26] Kolykhayev discussed how the city's residents were affected, noting that many of them stayed inside their homes and in bomb shelters. He added that although Russian forces were firing on residential buildings, combat had destroyed schools and tall buildings. Kolykhayev also asserted that Russian soldiers shot civilians brandishing Molotov cocktails on March 1. [27]

Kolykhayev stated that Russian forces had taken control of a river port and a railroad station early on March 2.

[27] The Kherson Regional Administration building is located at Svobody Square, where Russian military were spotted there later in the morning. [24] Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have taken the city[28], but Ukrainian and American authorities refuted this assertion and said that battle was still going on. [29] [30]

Later on March 2, ten or so Russian soldiers, including a commander, entered the structure housing the city council and started negotiating with Kolykhaiev. In the evening, Kolykhaiev declared that he had given over control of the city and that the Russian general intended to erect a military government. Kolykhaiev acknowledged that the Ukrainian military had left Kherson, and a different officer asserted that the Russian military was deployed across the entire city. Around 300 Ukrainian soldiers and citizens died during the fight, and Kolykhaiev claims that the infrastructure of the city was severely damaged. Additionally, he claimed that many of the unidentifiable remains were being buried in mass graves along with the deceased. [1] [31]

Occupation

Russian takeover of Kherson Oblast, main

On March 23, Ukrainian soldiers started retaliatory strikes in Kherson Oblast against Russian forces.

[32]

[33] A senior US defense official said that the Russian forces no longer had full control of Kherson as the Ukrainians fought "fiercely" to regain the city, however, CNN reported the situation in the city remained unchanged, citing residents saying Kherson was under full Russian control. [34] The Pentagon's judgment was questioned by Ukrainians in Kherson, who said that the city was still under Russian control. [35] [36]

Igor Kastyukevich was chosen mayor of Kherson by the Russian government on April 18.

[37]

Ukraine claimed to have hit a Russian command post near Kherson on April 23. Two Russian generals died, and one was gravely hurt. There were approximately 50 cops present throughout the strike. [38]

While Kherson was governed by Russia, Secretary of the United Russia General Council Andrey Turchak visited the city on May 6, 2022, and said, "Russia has always existed. There should be no room for disagreement. There won't be a going back to the past. Together, we shall build up this region, which is rich in both its historical history and its population." He announced the opening of a center for humanitarian assistance in Kherson. [39]

The governor of Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitaliy Kim, claims that Russian soldiers started destroying bridges close to Kherson in late May or early June in anticipation of an impending Ukrainian counterattack.

[40]

Resignation and abandonment

Main article: Kherson's Liberation

Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, participating in raising the Ukrainian flag on November 14, 2022, in liberated Kherson

Eight months after the conflict ended, on November 3, 2022, Russian forces took down their flag from the municipal administration building and gave the last remaining residents instructions to leave the area and cross the river to the southern bank.

[41]

Russian forces crossed the Dnipro River as part of the 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive. The Kherson Oblast and its surroundings were further invaded by Ukrainian forces. [42] Russian forces will leave the city and travel to the eastern or left bank, according to General of the Army Sergey Surovikin's announcement made on November 9th, 2022. [43] The Russian Ministry of Defence said that all soldiers (about 30,000 of them) and all military equipment had safely crossed the river in an orderly withdrawal on November 11 at 5 a.m. Moscow time (2 a.m. UTC). [42] [44] The feasibility of carrying out such an activity in three days was questioned by some observers. [42] Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defense minister, told Reuters: "It's not that simple to withdraw these forces from Kherson in a day or two. To transport them all, it will take at least a week (40,000 by his estimate). [45] [42]

Many soldiers appeared to be in panic on Russian social media as they rushed to flee, and pro-Kremlin bloggers echoed this concern, implying a breakdown in morale and logistics.

[45]

[42] Numerous reports from journalists, Ukrainian citizens, government officials, and individual Russian soldiers suggested that the pullout had been somewhat haphazard, with many Russian service members and equipment abandoned on the right bank. Major pieces of equipment, like anti-aircraft defense systems, looked to have been successfully moved to the other bank, according to DW, but this would leave troops stranded on the northern side exposed to Ukrainian artillery and drone assaults. [45] According to reports, groups of Russian soldiers—some of them wounded—were either captured or voluntarily gave themselves over to Ukrainian forces advancing on them. [42] According to Serhiy Khlan, a Ukrainian official, several Russian soldiers did not depart Kherson and instead dressed in civilian clothes. [42] One unnamed Russian soldier seems to affirm that the most recent directive given to his unit was to don civilian dress and fuck off however you wanted. [42] According to reports, some Russian soldiers who were trying to swim over the Dnipro drowned. [42] Ukrainian intelligence sent a statement on social media in Russian, urging any remaining Russian forces to give themselves up. [42] Social media footage claimed that Ukrainian forces had taken control of multiple Russian tanks, armored vehicles, and ammo crates, defying a claim made by the Russian Defense Ministry that "[n]othing of military hardware or weaponry was left behind on the right [west] side." [44]

Ukraine reclaimed the city on November 11.

[46]