DISINFO: Withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson is for them to rearm and regroup
SUMMARY
Putin patiently waits for the West's credibility to be shaken, due to the economic turmoil, soaring energy prices and growing public discontent. Kherson’s retreat was a strategically necessary sacrifice in order for Russia to be victorious at the end of the war. When the time is right and the military training is done, Putin will utilise his newly mobilised army to begin a new offensive.
RESPONSE
This is a motif from a broader disinformation campaign conducted by the Kremlin, aiming to prove that its “special military operation”, i.e., the illegal and unjustified full-scale war in Ukraine is going 'according to plan' since the beginning.
Russia’s “special military operation” have seen a few significant military turning points, most of them unquestionably to Russia’s disadvantage. Yet, the pro-Kremlin disinformation toolbox try to present all military setbacks suffered by Russia on the frontlines in an unrealistic manner. For instance, commentators regularly echo the claim that Russia is deliberately slowing down its operations to minimise civilian casualties.
Kherson was the first major city and only provincial capital that the Russian forces captured in the early stages of the full-scale invasion, and also an important Black Sea hub. Furthermore, Russia illegally annexed it in late September, claiming that Kherson and the three other Ukrainian regions would be Russian “forever". ”Billboards went up in Kherson itself, with messages: “Russia is here forever.”
Further proof that the loss of Kherson is a significant blow for the Kremlin’s military agenda is that senior Russian commanders have acknowledged setbacks for the first time since late February 2022.
More cases of disinformation representing the war in Ukraine in a false manner: Russia is winning against the Ukrainian Nazis and the West is doomed and Ukrainian forces fired missiles at the Zaporizhzhia station and Russian defenses repels them.