Zelenskyy: Russians not ready to leave Kherson, this is informational operation

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2022, 17:59 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Russian troops are not ready to leave Kherson, and their alleged preparation to retreat is an informational operation. 

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with an Italian outlet Corriere della Sera

Quote: "I don’t see them [Russians – ed.] running away from Kherson. This is an information attack. I cannot disclose everything. This is an attack for us to go there, to drag people from other dangerous fronts [,bringing them] there. This was their informational operation. They are not ready to leave Kherson."

Details: In response to a journalist’s remark that the Russians are evacuating civilians from Kherson Oblast, Zelenskyy pointed out: "Not that many. This is a performance. Their most trained soldiers are in their positions, nobody left. We see everything, and we do not believe them."

At the same time, according to the President, the Russians are aware that they have no opportunities to retreat from encirclement in Kherson if the Ukrainian troops succeed there.

"They are aware of this problem and [this] dangerous situation. But we are working on it," he said.

Asked whether Ukraine will be able to liberate Kherson, Zelenskyy replied: "Of course. This is complicated because people are the price [we’re paying]. We treat people differently than they do in Russia. For them, it is not important how many people are going to die tomorrow. And for us, it is extremely important, we cannot do this. We cannot say: "Go out there and die." Therefore, we are thinking, we are looking for ways, we are asking partners to give us more armoured combat equipment in order to save more people."

The President has also expressed his opinion that the occupation of the entire territory of Ukraine remains the Russian troops’ mission and plan. 

"They do not want to stop. They did not want to stop from the very beginning. They have only one mission, they do not have the second or third plans. Only one: to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine," he added. 

Background:

• On 18 October, Sergey Surovikin, the new commander of the Russian army in Ukraine, did not rule out making "difficult decisions" regarding the future arrival of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in occupied Kherson.

• The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine thinks that the Russian Federation could resort to blowing up residential areas as it withdraws from the left bank of Kherson Oblast, applying a scorched-earth policy to the occupied territory.

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