Surprise! Russia withdraws troops from Ukraine city, alleges flooding plan

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks near the southern city of Kherson.

In televised comments, the general said it was no longer possible to supply Kherson city and proposed taking up defensive lines on the eastern bank of the river.

He claimed it was safer for troops to leave because Ukraine was planning to flood the city, but did not provide evidence.

The announcement marked one of Russia’s most significant retreats and a potential turning point in the war, now nearing the end of its ninth month.

Meanwhile, Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, has urged a senior Russian general to mount a coup against President Vladimir Putin.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News that the Russians’ withdrawal from the city of Kherson is “probably a seminal moment in this campaign”.

He added that “strategically they would appear to be taking a major move backwards”.

“I think tactically it’s in their best interests to do that,” Lord Dannatt went on.

The withdrawal could be part of a genuine desire to regroup – or a ruse to encourage the Ukrainians to advance, he explained, adding that the Russians are “masters of deception and camouflage”.

He continued: “Have they got something in mind which they want to spring upon the Ukrainians? That’s the question that the Ukrainian high command has to bear in mind.

“I think we all need to watch it very carefully.”

But he said there might be another solution, too.

Lord Dannatt said: “If I was General Gerasimov, the Russian chief of the general staff, I’d be thinking really hard – how can I mount a coup in the Kremlin to get rid of that bast**d Putin?”

SKY News