Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate, said that Russia has around 40,000 troops on the Dnipro River's right bank where the occupied regional capital Kherson is located.
"The most trained and most capable Russian units are currently in Kherson," said Budanov, referring to Russian airborne, special forces, and marines. "Those units form the backbone of the group, and it's also being strengthened by mobilized personnel."
Ukraine officially announced the beginning of a large counteroffensive to liberate the southern regional capital of Kherson in late August but didn't make much progress until early October, when Ukrainian forces liberated over 400 square kilometers in Kherson Oblast within several days.
On Oct. 19, Russian proxies in Kherson began a so-called "evacuation" of around 60,000 civilians from Kherson and surrounding areas, while also removing statues of Russian generals from public squares in the city. Budanov said that a Russian military withdrawal is not imminent and that Russia intends to fight hard with the aim of holding the area.
(Updated: )
