Main Intelligence Directorate deny that Russian occupiers are fleeing from Kherson: they are preparing for defense

This was said by the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with one of the Ukrainian mass media.

According to Budanov, Sergey Surovikin, who commands the Southern Group of Russian troops in the war against Ukraine, may be preparing the groundwork for smoothing the reaction of Russian society in the event of the surrender or loss of Kherson, but so far it cannot be said that "right now they are fleeing from Kherson."

"No, there is no such thing," he said.

"In many aspects, this is an information operation and manipulation. There are certain facts. For example, they are taking out Promsvyazbank (Promsvyazbank - state-owned Russian bank - ed.) and other financial structures that the Russians brought there. And how they are taking out - they are taking out cash, servers, the so-called occupation authorities, they are transferring - they are actually transferring - all non-residents, the seriously injured are being taken out, they are trying to discharge those who can walk as soon as possible from the hospitals, and they are conducting this crazy information campaign that "we care about people" and the like," Budanov stressed.

According to him, Russian occupiers are simply "creating the illusion that everything is gone. And at the same time, on the contrary, they are bringing new military units there and preparing the city streets for defense."