Reportage

Ukraine: on the Kherson front, "it's more complicated than we would have liked"

Audio 01:13

Members of the Ukrainian artillery unit fire towards Kherson on October 28, 2022 (illustration photo).

© BULENT KILIC / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The operation to liberate Kherson will last until the end of November, according to the forecasts of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov.

After liberating several villages in the south of the country, the Ukrainian armed forces encounter resistance in their advance towards Kherson.

Our special envoys have met soldiers who are fighting on this front.

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With our special correspondents in Ukraine,

A few hours of rest in his unit, in a village liberated last month, before returning to the front.

Such is the program of Evguen, of the 60ᵉ brigade, mechanic in civilian life, mobilized in the first days of the war.

It's more complicated than we would have liked, but we didn't really expect them to run away and leave it all behind.

You have to fight for every village, every piece of land.

The terrain is difficult: it's steppe and when people go on the attack, they are in the open.

But that's okay, we'll get there, it's a matter of time.

The objective remains to recapture Kherson.

The Russian occupation administration swore to make it a “fortress” and evacuated some of the civilians to the other bank of the Dnieper.

For this officer who came to have his car repaired in a neighboring town, this will complicate the task of the Ukrainian armed forces

They purposely took people to the other side of Kherson, because they will serve as their shield.

This is their military strategy.

And afterwards, they will say that we are shooting at our people.

Like in Enerhodar: they took the nuclear power plant and allow themselves everything because they know that we won't shoot at it.

The two soldiers are under no illusions: the battle will still be long and it causes, they say, significant losses on both sides.

►To re-read: Ukraine: during the Russian occupation, two nurses treated patients from their living room

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