1945 has previously reported on rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to achieve much more than the annexation of the two pro-Russian Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
On Wednesday, Russian forces reportedly took control of the Ukrainian city of Kherson – the first major city in the country to be taken by the Russians and an indication that the rumors of Putin’s true intentions could well be true.
Did Russia Take Kherson?
Kherson, a southern city in Ukraine close to the Crimean peninsula, was said to have been captured by the Russians on Wednesday. It followed a week of fighting with Ukrainian citizens and military personnel on the streets.
The city has a population of almost 300,000 residents.
On Wednesday, the city’s mayor, Ignor Kolykhaev, reportedly met with a Russian military commander to introduce a military administration in the city. Speaking to the New York Times, Mayor Kolyhaev said that there is no Ukrainian Army in the city, and that they are completely surrounded by Russians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the news by insisting that any city taken by the Russians will be taken back by the Ukrainian military.
“If they went somewhere, then only temporarily. We’ll drive them out,” he said.
In a video posted to encrypted messaging and social media platform Telegram, Zelensky said that he was proud of the “heroic” resistance of the Ukrainian people.
“We are a nation that broke the enemy’s plans in a week,” he said. “Plans written for years: sneaky, full of hatred for our country, our people.”
On Wednesday, CNN reporter Nick Paton Walsh reported from Ukraine that it “does look a lot like the Russian military have significant control around Kherson.” He claimed that a curfew was imposed by Russian forces in the city, along with a ban on people walking in groups.
A senior United States defense official also claimed on Wednesday, however, that Kherson is not fully controlled by the Russians. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that Kherson is a “contested city.”
A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department also told Newsweek that they have seen the public statements from local authorities, but that it’s not something the department is in a position to speak to.
Why Kherson Matters to the Russians
If Russian forces have successfully conquered the city of Kherson, it will prove a key strategic advantage to the Russians. The city is central to Ukraine’s shipbuilding industry and is a significant economic hub for the entire country. It’s also positioned on the Dnieper River, the longest waterway in Ukraine, which provides access to much of inland Ukraine.
The river also connects directly to the Black Sea, giving the Russian Army another strategic advantage. It joins Ukraine with Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova. Without access to the Dnieper River, Ukraine also cannot ship in supplies via the Black Sea and the port city of Odessa.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and report on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
