Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and commander of Russian troops in Ukraine Sergei Surovikin instructed the military to "start withdrawing troops across the Dnieper River." According to Surovikin's statement, Kherson and adjacent settlements "cannot be supplied and function, the most appropriate option is to organize defense along the barrier line of the Dnieper River." “It is proposed to take up defense along the left bank of the Dnieper River,” Surovikin said.
The fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will soon recapture Kherson has been reported by military experts since the end of October. The hasty evacuation of the "administration" of the city also spoke in favor of such forecasts. Sergei Surovikin announced that "difficult decisions" would soon be made on Kherson. On November 7, the pro-Russian administration of the Kherson region announced that the evacuation of the population from the western bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region and the regional center was completed.
On November 8, the deputy head of the “administration” of Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, said that heavy fighting was underway in the Snigirevka sector of the front, Ukrainian troops managed to gain a foothold in the area after the transfer of reserves from Visunsk and Bereznegovatoy to the north of Snigirevka.
Around 14:00 Moscow time, Russian military correspondents and bloggers began to announce some official "difficult statements." In the pro-Russian Telegram channel MilitaryMaps, information appeared that the Armed Forces of Ukraine entered Kalininskoye, a village in the north of the Kherson region. Retreating, Russian troops blew up four bridges in the Kharkiv region: in Daryevka, Snigirevka, Novokairy and the Tyaginsky railway bridge.
On September 30, Vladimir Putin signed agreements on the inclusion of new territories into Russia, including the Kherson region and the regional center of Kherson. The region was annexed following a "referendum" held from 23 to 27 September. The Russian authorities reported that 87.05% of those who voted were in favor of joining.
