Russia claims exit from Kherson

Russia’s military says it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it’s captured, but Ukrainian officials and analysts warn it could be a trap.

👋 Hi, I'm Nicole Fallert with an update on Ukraine.

The commander of Russian forces in Ukraine said Wednesday his troops will withdraw from the crucial port city of Kherson in the south, a major setback reflecting the Kremlin's increasing struggles to turn back a counteroffensive that has returned hundreds of square miles of seized land to Ukrainian control.

The announcement was met with skepticism by Ukrainian officials, who have been wary their troops may be lured into a trap by Russian forces girding for urban warfare in the industrial city on the west bank of the Dnipro River.

Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak warned on Twitter against trusting "staged TV statements'' and said, "We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight.''

General Sergey Surovikin, speaking on Russian state TV,  said retreat from the only regional capital seized since the war began in February was "a hard decision." But he told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the move would spare the lives of troops and allow for establishment of a better defensive position. Ukrainian attacks have cut off supply lines and crossing points, leaving Russian troops vulnerable to encirclement. 

• President Joe Biden said Wednesday he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over.
• All Ukraine regions will be subjected to emergency outages, in addition to scheduled rolling blackouts, grid operator Ukrenergo said. Russian attacks have destroyed or damaged 40% of the country's energy infrastructure.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.