Russian forces' retreat from Kherson to means Putin loses authority - Ukrainian Security Service colonel

He shared his opinion with Espreso TV. 

"The main reserves of the Russian army accumulate in the Crimea, and then go south by rail or in marching columns to the left bank of the Dnipro River, to the area of ​​Kakhovka, Myrne, and to other settlements. And then along two highways, the Antonivka Bridge and the Kakhovka Dam, they move to the right bank, and this is practically the only place where the Russian army has such a bridgehead", the colonel commented.

Roman Kostenko believes that, understanding what forces and means the Russians have there, and that they are connected only by two bridges, accordingly, if all possible crossings are destroyed, then the Russian forces may find themselves in an operational environment.

"Therefore, from a military point of view, while there are active actions in the East and the Russians are trying to push our positions there, in the South it would be correct for them to withdraw and gain a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro. The Russian group on the right bank is very vulnerable, even with the number of troops there. But it seems to me that this is Putin's political decision, because he believes that leaving Kherson is a loss of his authority. Although it is to our advantage and our priority, because we have built defense lines and at any moment we will be able to close this group on the right bank of the Dnipro River. And then there will be other arrangements of forces and means. With the correct organization of an offensive or blocking operation, they can be under a strong threat", Kostenko explained.