Russian forces and their local allies consolidated their positions in Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 26, dispelling rumors of an imminent Russian withdrawal from the strategic region.
“The Russians are replenishing, strengthening their grouping there [in Kherson],” Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an evening address on Oct. 25.
Thousands of civilians in Kherson’s combat zone were evacuated this week to the east bank of the Dnieper River in anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Overseen by the Russian military authorities, the evacuations had prompted speculation that Russian forces, too, were preparing to pull out of the area.
“Nobody is preparing to withdraw,” Arestovych confirmed. “On the contrary, the heaviest of battles is going to take place for Kherson.”
Late last month, the Kherson region–along with the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia–was incorporated into the Russian Federation following referendums in all four territories.
Of the four regions, Kherson is seen as the most strategically vital since it commands the only land route to the Crimean Peninsula, along with the mouth of the Dnieper River.
Most of Kherson, including its regional capital, was captured by Russian forces in the opening weeks of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
Kirill Stremousov, Kherson’s Moscow-appointed deputy governor, told the Russian press on Oct. 25 that the front line in Kherson was being “constantly reinforced.”
Previous Ukrainian attempts to breach Kherson’s front line have run up against stiff Russian resistance, resulting in significant losses to Ukrainian manpower and equipment.
According to Stremousov, “several thousand” Ukrainian troops have been killed in recent attempts to breach the front line, which runs from the city of Mykolaiv to Kryvyi Rih.
The Epoch Times was unable to verify the official’s assertions.
Russian ‘Dirty Bomb’ Claims
On the international stage, Russia doubled down on claims that pro-Kyiv forces were planning to set off a “dirty bomb” on Ukrainian territory with the aim of discrediting Russia.Russian diplomats repeated the claims at an Oct. 25 meeting of the U.N. Security Council, during which “evidence” of Moscow’s assertions was reportedly shared with Western officials.
“I don’t mind people saying that Russia is ‘crying wolf’ if this doesn’t happen because this is a terrible, terrible disaster that potentially threatens the whole earth,” Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy U.N. envoy, told reporters after the meeting.
“Dirty bombs” typically feature conventional explosives combined with radioactive material.
According to Russian officials, the planned radiological attack would be blamed on Moscow, thereby creating a pretext for stepped-up Western intervention in Ukraine.
In a highly unusual move over the weekend, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke by phone with his U.S., British, and French counterparts, to whom he communicated Moscow’s fears.
In a joint statement issued after the calls, U.S., British, and French officials rejected the claims, describing them as “transparently false.”
Nevertheless, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to send inspectors to two Ukrainian nuclear sites that Russia believes are involved in the “dirty bomb” plot.
“The IAEA is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation… about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine,” the agency said in an Oct. 24 statement.
“The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days,” it added. “The purpose of the safeguards’ visit is to detect any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material.”
Democrats Backtrack on Peace Calls
In the United States, meanwhile, a group of progressive lawmakers appeared to backtrack after publicly calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.Earlier this week, 30 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the White House in which they called for a negotiated settlement between the warring parties.
Citing the risk of “catastrophic escalation,” signatories urged U.S. President Joe Biden to “pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire.”
But on Oct. 25, they withdrew the appeal, presumably after facing blowback from Democratic Party leaders who have consistently taken a strong line against Russia.
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine,” U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the group’s chairperson, said in a statement.
“The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately, was released by staff without vetting,” she added.
The incident highlights expectations that financial and military support for Ukraine could face drastic reductions in the event of a Republican victory in the midterm elections slated for Nov. 8.
In recent weeks, Republican lawmakers have expressed mounting opposition to continued U.S. funding for the Ukrainian war effort.
Earlier this month, Washington unveiled a fresh $725 million military-aid package to Ukraine, bringing total U.S. assistance to Kyiv to more than $17.5 billion since the conflict began.
