ASSESSMENTS

Increased Pressure in Kherson May Thwart Russia's Annexation Plans -- For Now

Aug 19, 2022 | 20:10 GMT

Ukrainian soldiers on tanks participate in a training exercise about 70 kilometers outside of Kherson in southern Ukraine on May 9, 2022.

Ukrainian soldiers on tanks participate in a training exercise about 70 kilometers outside of Kherson in southern Ukraine on May 9, 2022.

(John Moore/Getty Images)

While Ukraine likely missed its opportunity for a swift counterattack in Kherson, its pressure on Russian forces near the southern city, combined with its continued foothold in the eastern Donbas region, could force Russia to delay annexing Ukrainian territories. But Russia still retains the overall military advantage and desire to seize areas of Ukraine, leaving the door open to eventual annexations. In recent weeks, Western and Ukrainian officials and analysts have spoken of an attempted Ukrainian campaign to retake the strategic city of Kherson and surrounding territory on the western (right) bank of the mouth of the Dnieper River. Recent strikes by Ukrainian forces in Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as on the few bridges linking Kherson and the western bank of the Dnieper River to Russia's ''land corridor'' to Crimea on the eastern (left) bank, have only strengthened speculation regarding a Ukrainian counterattack toward Kherson. However, a large-scale Russian redeployment...

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