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Kherson retreat and the shape of the south
Summary
On 10 November 2022, Ukrainian gains around Kherson and a new US weapons package marked a turning point in the southern campaign.
What did Russia's announced withdrawal from Kherson mean on 10 November 2022? The day's events point to a southern front moving decisively in Ukraine's favour, with Ukrainian forces consolidating ground while Western support continued.
The day before, on 9 November, 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 counteroffensive that produced this outcome had been launched by Ukraine on 29 August 2022, with the aim of expelling Russian forces from the occupied southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.
Gains on the ground
On 10 November, Ukrainian troops recaptured the village of Kyselivka, advancing to within nine miles of the city centre of Kherson. Explosions were reported near the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The Ukrainian military also said it had retaken Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, described as the last city in that oblast still controlled by Russia.
Taken together, these advances show why the announced retreat was more than a single local decision. Ukrainian forces were closing on Kherson from the north and clearing the remaining Russian-held city in neighbouring Mykolaiv Oblast on the same day.
A death in the occupation administration
Also on 9 November, Russian officials said that Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson military–civilian administration, had been killed in a car crash while travelling to Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree posthumously awarding him the Order of Courage. The announcement came on the same day as the retreat declaration.
Western supply continues
On 10 November, the Pentagon announced its latest weapons package for Ukraine, worth $400 million. It included four AN/TWQ-1 Avenger surface-to-air missile systems, Stinger missiles, 400 grenade launchers, 100 humvees, and additional artillery rounds and small arms ammunition. The package was intended to support the Ukrainian military, and its contents combined air defence with vehicles and ammunition for ground forces.
What the day showed
The sequence of 9 and 10 November places the Russian withdrawal announcement alongside continuing Ukrainian advances and a fresh round of US military aid. Ukrainian troops were nine miles from Kherson's centre, and a second city in the south had been declared recaptured. For readers following the war, the day marked the point at which the southern counteroffensive, under way since late August, was yielding territory along the western bank of the Dnieper.
