Key developments on Nov. 10
- Ukraine liberates Snihurivka town, located 50 kilometers north of Kherson
- Ukraine recaptures 12 settlements near Kherson, advances 7 kilometers
- Russian Defense Ministry says it began withdrawing troops from Kherson
- General Staff: Russia uses 17 missiles, 50 drones to attack Ukraine this week
Ukrainian forces advanced seven kilometers (4.3 miles) in the Kherson direction over the past day, swiftly recapturing 12 settlements near the Moscow-held southern regional capital, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said on Nov. 10.
Valery Zaluzhnyi’s report comes a day after Moscow ordered its troops to withdraw from Kherson, in what appears to be a humiliating retreat from the only regional capital that Russia captured thus far since the February invasion. Ukraine cautioned against trusting Russia’s words about retreating.
Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine’s military couldn’t confirm a Russian withdrawal from Kherson and that it continues to rage a months-old southern counteroffensive.
Since the pace of Kyiv’s operation aimed at recapturing Kherson increased in October, Ukrainian forces have advanced 36.5 kilometers (22.7 miles) in the direction of the ultimate target, according to Zaluzhnyi.
His report said that 41 settlements have been liberated over the past 1.5 months, which make up 1,381 square kilometers.
Ukrainian forces had destroyed Russia’s logistic routes and supply systems toward Kherson, Zaluzhnyi said, likely to put more pressure on Moscow to loosen its grip on the city faster.
“Thus, they (Ukrainian forces) left the enemy no other choice but to flee,” Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Nov. 10 that it had begun withdrawing troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, where Kherson sits, "in strict accordance with the approved plan.”
Earlier on Nov. 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a full pull-out from Kherson, justifying what would be a humiliating defeat as a necessary move to strengthen military presence elsewhere.
Russia began relocating troops and equipment out of Kherson in October, but Ukrainian officials have long warned against treating it as a withdrawal.
Ukraine raised alerts that Russia may be planning an ambush to lure Ukrainian forces into the city, given that Russian troops have ramped up their looting of civilian clothes from local residents over the past few weeks.
The latest U.K. intelligence report said that Russians’ ability to hold onto the west bank is under pressure by Ukrainian strikes targeting logistics, and they will be vulnerable in crossing the river, which is expected to take several days.
Last night, Kherson residents witnessed Russian military equipment being transferred in the direction of Antonivskyi Bridge, according to Halyna Luhova, head of the city military administration.
Kyiv’s campaign to pressure Russian forces into withdrawing across the river without having to launch major ground offensives has likely succeeded, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. defense think-tank, said on Nov. 9.
Capturing Snihurivka
Ukrainian forces liberated the town of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, located on a key route to Kherson about 50 kilometers away.
Reports of the Ukrainian military’s counter-attack on Snihurivka first appeared on Nov. 8. They reportedly entered the town the following day.
On Nov. 10, Ukrainian soldiers published a video from Snihurivka saying that the key town had been liberated by the forces of the 131st reconnaissance battalion.
Snihurivka, which sits on the shore of the Inhulets River, is strategically important because it opens the way not just to Kherson – but also to Ukrainian-controlled Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih.
Since capturing the town in late March, Russian occupying forces had strengthened their defense around Snihurivka due to its strategic importance.
Another car crash in occupied territory
A day after Kirill Stremousov, a deputy head of Russia’s illegal occupation government in Kherson Oblast, died in a car crash, another high-profile figure was reported dead in occupied Crimea.
Aleksei Remenyuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker known for his pro-Russian stance, also died in a car crash in Crimea on Nov. 8, Russian independent media outlet Meduza reported, citing a local Kremlin-controlled news agency.
The 66-year-old was drunk driving in his Range Rover after attending a friend’s birthday party when the traffic accident killed him and a passenger, according to Russian Telegram channel Mash.
Remenyuk’s funeral reportedly took place in Sevastopol on Nov. 10.
Eastern front
On the eastern battlefield, heavy fighting raged as Russian forces attempted to advance into Donetsk Oblast towns they have been trying to capture for months.
Russian forces launched offensive operations in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka areas in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 10, according to Ukraine’s General Staff’s evening report.
In neighboring Luhansk Oblast, Governor Serhiy Haidai said that Russians are scrambling reserves to defend the strategic towns of Svatove and Kreminna amid a Ukrainian advance into the largely occupied region.
More than 100,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded in action thus far, top U.S. General Mark Milley said, adding that Ukraine is “probably” suffering a similar figure.
Casualties and attacks
This week, Russian forces have so far used 17 missiles and 50 drones to attack Ukraine, according to Oleksiy Hromov, deputy chief of operations of Ukraine’s General Staff.
The entire front line in Kherson Oblast is under heavy shelling by Russian forces, with civilian deaths and injuries being reported, the National Police of Ukraine said.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Nov. 10 that three people were killed in Bakhmut and Pavlivka while five were wounded across the region over the past day.
In central Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko reported that an 80-year-old woman was wounded in Nikopol due to overnight Russian shelling.
He added that 10 high-rise buildings, a gas station, a gas pipeline, and power lines were damaged in the city.
Another round of Russian rockets hit an area near Zaporizhzhia, damaging an agricultural enterprise’s farm buildings and equipment, according to regional governor Oleksandr Starukh. No injuries were reported.
“The enemy does not stop,” Starukh said on Telegram.
