Up to 1,000 mobilized military personnel have joined Russian units on the right bank of Kherson Oblast, the General Staff reported on Oct. 28. These troops are settling in the houses of local residents who left the occupied territories, said General Staff spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun.
According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, the conscripts that Russia used to augment its units west of the Dnipro River are of "an extremely low level of manning." Currently, Russia's "severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is only capable of defensive operations," the ministry wrote.
On Oct. 24, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's intelligence chief, said Russia was creating an illusion its troops were leaving Kherson by the announced evacuation of top Moscow-installed proxies and displacement of civilians. Instead, they are bringing new military units there to prepare for defense, according to Budanov.
Later, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the statement that Russia's alleged plans to retreat from Kherson were disinformation.
