The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says the assumption that the withdrawal of Russian troops from the right bank of the Dnipro River is part of a plan to lure the Ukrainians into some type of trap is unlikely.
The institute says before such a decision was officially made by the Russian Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, they observed how the Russian army was leaving the right bank of the river and how it was already setting up defensive structures on the left bank, which, as the institute states, “is not consistent with the task of a trap”.
According to the Institute of War Research, the Russians may leave a number of forces in the city of Kherson, although this is to win time to fully withdraw the remaining units from the right bank.
“The Russian command will try to slow down the Ukrainian advance in the Kherson region in order to maintain an orderly withdrawal of troops. Some units may remain in the city of Kherson to stop the Ukrainian forces, but these battles will be for the withdrawal of the Russian units in the most organized way possible,” the institute’s report reads.
Since the decision of the Russian forces to withdraw, Ukraine continues to advance in the combat zone.
In addition to the Ukrainian counterattack, the fact that a significant part of the bridge crossings on the Dnipro River is damaged also hinders the quick withdrawal of the Russian army.
By Ana Dumbadze
