They refuel before returning to battle. A coffee, a few chips eaten on the run in the last gas station before Kherson, Tuesday October 25, Tuesday October 25. We can barely make out the explosions of the shells in the distance. Ukrainian soldiers from the intelligence unit take advantage of the calm before the final assault on the largest Russian-held city in southern Ukraine.
>> War in Ukraine: Kherson about to be taken back from the Russians, an officer analyzes the situation
One of these fighters, code name “brigadier”, tells the front. “We have already broken the third and last line of defense of the adversary, but after that there are still some fortifications up to Kherson. And we are going to have street fights, because they don’t want to withdraw.“ The advance towards the capital of the region will become more and more difficult, while 90 localities have been liberated in recent days. A Ukrainian official said on Tuesday that “the situation is clear: the Russians are gathering their forces. This means no one is ready to back down. On the contrary, the toughest of battles will take place in Kherson.“
Facing them, says “brigadier”, the Russians are in a weak position. “On our side, we are more numerous and more expert, Advance the soldier. Opposite, they are mercenaries, and not new conscripts but special forces. It’s not like in the Donbass where the fighting is more technical, with planes, drones and artillery too.“ They have no ammunition supply. In most cases, they retire before they fight.” According to him, the Russian troops absolutely did not desert Kherson. It’s manipulation: “The Russians will try to defend Kherson until the end. What we mentioned in the press, that they left, it’s fake news.”
“The fighting is going to be fierce. It’s not going to be easy. But we’re going to retake the city.”
A Ukrainian soldier at the gates of Khersonat franceinfo
For the soldiers, the difficulty is also the many civilians who remained on the spot. This slows down the fights. “There are a lot of people in Kherson, they haven’t left. Our army is not so cruel, like the Russian army. That’s why we don’t think about bombing the city and our civilians“, says the soldier.
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As he leaves, our fighter confides a few things: “We tough men cry when we lose our brothers in arms, we feel things, sometimes we’re scared. This is our country, we will defend it until our last breath.“In the back of his pick-up, he filled the trunk with warm sweaters, blankets, food… With his comrades, he disappeared in the distance towards Kherson.