Kherson returns to Ukrainian control after retreat

What did it mean when Ukrainian troops entered Kherson on 11 November 2022? The city was the only Ukrainian regional capital captured by Russia during the invasion, and its recapture ended an eight-month occupation by Russian forces.

A retreat announced, then carried out

The entry followed a short sequence of events. On 9 November 2022, Russian forces announced a retreat from the city of Kherson, from the western bank of the Dnieper River in Mykolaiv Oblast, and from the western part of Kherson Oblast. The announcement came as part of a wider pattern: a Ukrainian counteroffensive to expel Russian forces from the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts had been launched on 29 August 2022.

On 10 November, the Ukrainian military said it had recaptured Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, described as the last remaining city controlled by Russia in that oblast. The same day, Ukrainian troops retook the village of Kyselivka, bringing them within nine miles of the centre of Kherson, and explosions were reported near the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

By 11 November, Ukrainian troops were inside Kherson. On the same day, Russian forces destroyed the Antonivka Road Bridge as they retreated from the west of the Dnieper. The bridge's destruction was a physical marker of the withdrawal: the river now lay between the two armies along this stretch of the front.

Other developments around the date

On 9 November, Russian officials said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson military–civilian administration, had been killed in a car crash while travelling to Crimea. President Vladimir Putin issued a decree posthumously awarding him the Order of Courage. The reported death came on the same day as the retreat announcement.

Western support continued in parallel. On 10 November, the Pentagon announced a new $400 million weapons package for Ukraine. It included four AN/TWQ-1 Avenger surface-to-air missile systems, Stinger missiles, 400 grenade launchers, 100 humvees, and artillery rounds and small arms ammunition.

Moscow's response on the diplomatic front was symbolic. On 11 November, the Russian Foreign Ministry banned 200 U.S. citizens from entering Russia, among them White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and three siblings of President Joe Biden.

The wider economic picture

The war's effects were also being measured far from the front. On 11 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization forecast that global spending on food imports would rise by 10 percent from the previous year to an all-time high of US$1.94 trillion by the end of 2022, citing currency depreciations and the war in Ukraine. The bulk of the increase was expected to come from high-income countries, with import volumes also forecast to rise.

That forecast sat within a broader period of food price inflation and shortages in several regions during 2022. Contributing factors included supply chain disruption linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global energy crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and floods, heatwaves and droughts.

What the day showed

The sequence from 9 to 11 November shows a rapid unwinding of Russia's position on the western bank: an announced retreat, the loss of Snihurivka and Kyselivka, entry into Kherson and the demolition of a bridge behind the departing forces. Ukrainian forces took back the only regional capital Russia had captured, while allies kept supplying weapons and the economic costs of the war continued to register in global food markets.