The commander of Russian troops in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, officially explained to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the need to leave Kherson.
Shoigu accepted these arguments and ordered the withdrawal of troops right under the TV cameras.
Earlier, the Kremlin prepared guidelines on how propagandists should explain to the Russians the withdrawal from the city.
Zelensky wants to put on a bloody show for the whole world, present the Armed Forces of Ukraine as suffering, and demand new money. The enemy wants Kherson to become a trap for Russia, a battlefield with tens of thousands of victims, the text said.
Its compilers proposed to conclude: “Russian troops seek to save the lives of civilians and personnel.”
Almost all the theses on the methods on November 9 were repeated first by Surovikin, and after him by the secretary of the general council of the party in power “the only Russia” Andriy Turchak, who back in May was sure: Russian in the Kherson region “forever”.
Now the Kremlin is confident that the Russians who support the war will perceive the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kherson “very negatively”.
This is a problem,” Meduza’s interlocutors close to the Kremlin admitted.
At the same time, the authorities hope that the topic of saving the lives of the military, which is relied upon in propaganda, will be close to most Russians due to mobilization.
When members of your family, kind or even distant acquaintances, are at war, you perceive military operations differently,” one of them explained.
According to another source close to the Kremlin, the withdrawal of troops from Kherson was discussed at the Security Council in early November, not only in connection with the really difficult situation at the front, but also in the context of a possible return to the Kremlin of negotiations with Ukraine.
This is not only a military necessity, but also such a step towards an invitation to negotiations. Some change in the negotiating position, – he said.
According to Meduza’s source, such negotiations are possible, but not in the near future. Even if they take place, Russia will officially consider previously annexed Kherson to be “territory occupied by Ukraine.”
The Russians seem to have developed a new “tactical version” of the negotiations. It does not involve the conclusion of a full-fledged peace treaty, but the introduction of a temporary ceasefire. According to the Kremlin’s plan, the Russian and Ukrainian military could agree on this.
Starting positions for negotiations
Meduza’s sources close to the Kremlin were confident that for this, the Russian authorities would be ready to return part of the occupied territories of the Kherson region to Ukraine. The Kremlin hoped that a temporary ceasefire would allow the Russian army to prepare for a new full-fledged offensive.
November 9 – a few hours before the announcement of the withdrawal from Kherson, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, confirmed:
Russia remains open to negotiations with Ukraine, of course, given the current realities.
In addition, in a video message dated November 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named five conditions for negotiations with Russia.
Once again: restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all damages caused by the war, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that this will not happen again,” the president said.
However, he did not mention the previous requirement that negotiations are impossible while Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia.
Politico noted that U.S. officials did not tell Zelensky or his aides that Ukraine should change its stance, but conveyed that Kyiv should “demonstrate its willingness” to end the war peacefully.
According to two Meduza sources close to the Kremlin, Putin’s negotiating positions have not changed. The Russian president is confident that the Ukrainian authorities should at least recognize the Donbass and Crimea as Russian. As a maximum, he intends to achieve recognition by Russia of the rights to all the occupied territories. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not answer Meduza’s question.
The reaction of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry
Ukraine reacted to the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry about Russia’s readiness for negotiations – Kyiv called it “another smoke curtain” and “an imitation of dialogue.”
The position was announced on November 9 by the speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Nikolenko.
The statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry is another smoke screen. Russian officials start reminiscing about negotiations every time Russian troops are defeated on the battlefield. Moscow is not interested in restoring peace in Ukraine. Simulating a readiness for dialogue, Russia is trying to buy time to regroup units, prepare the newly mobilized Russians, address the lack of weapons, eliminate logistical shortcomings, and then resort to new waves of aggression with renewed vigor. We already went through this in 2014-2015,” Oleg Nikolenko said.
He added that the party interested in peace talks does not destroy cities, villages, does not kill civilians and does not destroy energy infrastructure. Nikolenko recalled that Ukraine has repeatedly offered negotiations, but received an insulting reaction to them.
Source: Racurs
