Vladimir Putin
(Picture: AP)Russia has named the port town of Hinichesk as a “temporary capital” of the Kherson region following its sudden withdrawal, according to British defence chiefs.
Russian troops retreated from the southern city of Kherson – the only capital they had seized in the invasion – last Wednesday.
The city suffered eight months of occupation by Vladimir Putin’s forces, leaving shortages of food and water.
In its latest intelligence update, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russian troops have now made the port town of Henichesk a “temporary capital” of the occupied region.
The choice of this area “hints at the priorities and concerns of Russian commanders” as they consolidate their defences in southern Ukraine, the report adds.
The region is also “out of range of Ukrainian artillery systems which have inflicted heavy damage on Russian field command posts”.
The MoD said: “By 12 November 2022, the Russian military had almost certainly completed the withdrawal of forces which had been holding territory west of the Dnipro River.
“With the abandonment of Kherson city, Russia has made the Azov Sea port town of Henichesk a ‘temporary capital’ of the occupied region. Russia will likely also redeploy military command units to the Henichesk area.
“The choice of this area as a command node hints at the priorities and concerns of Russian commanders as they consolidate their defences in southern Ukraine.”
They added: “It is well positioned to coordinate action against potential Ukrainian threats from both Kherson city in the west, or via Melitopol to the north-east, and to receive reinforcements from Crimea.
“Above all, it is currently out of range of Ukrainian artillery systems which have inflicted heavy damage on Russian field command posts.”
The city of Kherson was the first major urban hub to fall to Russian forces and the only regional capital Russia gained control over.
The takeover by Ukrainian troops is the latest in a string of setbacks for the Kremlin, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, hoping for a lightning quick takeover and to topple the government in days.
