Ukrainian officials posted a message marking the first anniversary of the recapture of the city of Kherson, the latest successful advance on the front line.
"Today marks the first anniversary of the liberation of Kherson, the city of hope," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a message of thanks to soldiers and local residents on November 11.
The Ukrainian leader stressed that Kherson is the basis for the people to continue to believe that the Russian army cannot permanently hold on to the southern territories, from the Crimean peninsula to the Donbass region. He affirmed that Ukraine will never forget the cities and villages that have been controlled by the Russian army since the fighting broke out in February 2022.
"Ukraine will come back if we unite and work together," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyz Zelensky during a visit to the city of Kherson on November 14, 2022. Photo: Reuters
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian military intelligence, also assessed the recapture of Kherson as an important turning point in the war. Meanwhile, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny thanked the Ukrainian soldiers and people for their resilience and courage in recapturing the city.
Russian troops took control of Kherson in the first week of the war, thanks to elite forces from the Crimean peninsula and the support of local pro-Russian officials.
However, the Ukrainian army, after successfully defending Kiev, launched a siege of Kherson last fall, forcing Russia to move into the area with more elite forces. When the Ukrainian army in the east counterattacked quickly and pushed the Russian forces out of Kharkov in September, the Kherson defenders were forced to gradually withdraw across the Dnieper River.
By November 2022, as Ukrainian artillery was tightening its siege, Russian forces withdrew completely from Kherson to avoid the risk of being completely surrounded and suffering heavy losses. Russian troops still controlled most of Kherson, and Russian artillery continued to threaten the city from positions across the river.
Kherson was also the last major "victory" of the Ukrainian army in the past year. The battlefield situation returned to a stalemate despite Ukraine receiving new weapons and equipment from the West. The Russian army established a formidable defense system in southern Ukraine with anti-tank fortifications and minefields, and defense units were reinforced with additional manpower.
Since launching a large-scale counter-offensive in June, Ukraine has made no significant progress on the key front of Zaporizhzhia, while facing the risk of being ambushed in the northeast.
General Zaluzhny admitted that the war was "frozen" because Russia could maintain its technological and numerical superiority for a long time. He said that Ukraine needed more modern approaches and means to resolve the current stalemate.
Thanh Danh (According to AFP, Kyiv Post )
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