British intelligence: Russia sends signal it could withdraw from Kherson

The Ministry tweeted that, on 27 October 2022, the Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine's occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that more than 70,000 people had now left Kherson city.

On 26 October 2022, Saldo also claimed that Russia had removed the remains of the well-known 18th century Russian statesman, Prince Grigory Potemkin, from his tomb in Kherson’s cathedral.

“In the Russian national identity, Potemkin is heavily associated with the Russian conquest of Ukrainian lands in the 18th century and highlights the weight Putin almost certainly places on perceived historical justification for the invasion. This symbolic removal of Potemkin and the civilian exodus likely pre-empts Russian intent to expedite withdrawal from the area,” noted the Ministry.

• On October 26, Vladimir Saldo reported that the Russians had taken the remains of the Russian Prince Grigory Potemkin out of the city to the left bank of the Dnipro River.