UKRAINE CELEBRATE THE RE-CAPTURE OF KHERSON
In its latest assessment of the situation on the ground, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) says it's "highly likely" Russian troops destroyed road and rail bridges over the Dnipro river as part of their retreat.
Images emerged yesterday showing that the main river crossing out of Kherson - the Antonivsky bridge - had partially collapsed. It remains unclear how the damage was caused.
The Russian withdrawal from Kherson was formally announced on Wednesday, but the MoD says it's likely that it started as early as 22 October when Russian-appointed officials urged civilians to leave the city.
"There is a realistic possibility that Russian military equipment and forces in civilian attire had been evacuating in conjunction with the 80,000 stated evacuated civilians in recent weeks," it says.
The MoD also says it's likely Russia is still attempting to evacuate forces from other parts of the region across the river to defensible positions on the eastern bank.
"Kherson was the only regional capital city captured since February by Russian forces, so the withdrawal brings significant reputational damage," it adds.
"The withdrawal is a public recognition of the difficulties faced by Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnipro River."
The MoD adds it's likely that Ukraine has retaken large areas of the Kherson region on the west bank of the river, and that its forces are now largely in control of the city of Kherson itself.
Ukraine war latest: Celebrations in Ukraine after 'extraordinary victory' in Kherson - BBC News
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