Russian troops have been ordered to withdraw from the city of Kherson and surrounding areas in southern Ukraine.
Russia’s top commander in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, said it is no longer possible to supply the city and other parts of the west bank of the Dnipro River where it is located.
In televised remarks, he said: “We will save the lives of our soldiers and the fighting ability of our units.
“Keeping them on the right (west) bank is pointless.
“Some of them can be used on other fronts.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu responded by saying, “I agree with your conclusions and proposals.
“Continue with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to transfer forces across the river.”
The announcement marks one of Russia’s biggest retreats and another humiliating setback.
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The city of Kherson, which had a pre-war population of 280,000, was taken by Russia early in the war and remains the only regional capital to have fallen.
The Kherson region was annexed in September, along with three other Ukrainian regions: Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said several times that the return of all occupied territories is a condition for any peace talks with Russia, but Russia is unlikely to agree.
Ukrainian troops launched attacks over the summer in an effort to retake parts of the province.
Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr Zelenskyy, said: “You need to separate words from deeds.
“Until the Ukrainian flag flies over Kherson, there is no point in talking about a Russian withdrawal.
“Ukraine does not take these (Russia’s) statements into account.
“It is still too early to talk about the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson – a grouping of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation remains in the city and additional manpower is being brought into the region.”
He added: “Our armed forces work according to their plan: reconnaissance, risk assessment, effective counterattack.”