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cgmcnama t1_ivp7u0g wrote

It's not covered here, but Ukrainian forces are wary that this is setup to be a trap by Russia. Leaving forces in the city and making a prolonged city battle. I think someone put it best when they said the situation in Kherson is "clear as mud".

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LystAP t1_ivpf0i0 wrote

During WW2, when the Soviets pulled out of Kiev/Kyiv, they rigged buildings to explode when the Germans moved in to occupy the city. So it’s reasonable to suspect a trap.

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millionreddit617 t1_ivqmxir wrote

And their tactics haven’t moved on much since the 1940s so yeah…

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ErikTheAngry t1_ivqpjx5 wrote

Soviet/RF battle doctrines:

Sustained artillery bombardment first. Flatten everything before the advance.

Armour goes in next. Flatten everything.

Troops go in to secure . Rape what you can, loot the rest, then get positions ready for artillery to move up from the rear.

A tactic unchanged from the 1940s.

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ghostmaster645 t1_ivtdarv wrote

Funny part it it was with American food, equipment, and vehicles.

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Rucio t1_ivp83gg wrote

Just surround the place and choke it out until the remaining Russians surrender.

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AGVann t1_ivpq847 wrote

The city is full of civilians, and unlike Russia, Ukraine aren't about to Grozny their own countrymen.

Sieges like that can still take a long time. Sarajevo under similar conditions took 3 years.

If this is a genuine withdrawal - and seems likely since it was broadcast on state television - what the Russian brass might be afraid of is that a siege wouldn't even happen. The Russian units trapped inside would surrender en masse.

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Lucius-Halthier t1_ivr5pz2 wrote

Seeing an entire city’s garrison just surrender like that would be a crushing blow for putin, I’m all for it

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[deleted] t1_ivp91op wrote

[deleted]

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Rucio t1_ivp9c8i wrote

Carefully I suppose. Shock and awe tactics work great on poorly defended logistics columns, but rooting out dug in soldiers in building to building fighting is painful.

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Lucius-Halthier t1_ivr5ldc wrote

Best tactic would most likely flank the city to make sure that if it is a trap with Russians in there willing to fight block to block they just cut off what little supplies they could get. I can’t imagine holdout would last very long.

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Thansoli t1_ivpcbgp wrote

Exactly. Why is the MSM taking the word of Russian commanders and the Russian Defense Minister as 100% truth in this case. Anyone with half a brain knows that using the media to deploy disinformation is a virtually free tool that can produce great returns. I'm glad to also be reading that Ukrainian forces are taking this news with a *giant* grain of salt.

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Deducticon t1_ivpvags wrote

Do people still use the term 'MSM' unironically?

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Anonuser123abc t1_ivrfv3j wrote

Most definitely. The q anon people talk about the MSM and "the narrative" constantly.

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Yvgar t1_ivrpgvg wrote

The same people are using "lamestream" media in their Facebook circlejerks.

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Seance-Fiction t1_ivqld2i wrote

This article is reporting what Russia has announced and some Ukrainian viewpoints on the announcement. That’s not an example of “taking the word” of Russian leaders, it’s describing what they said. No conclusion was drawn from it.

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AhabFXseas t1_ivsb9r9 wrote

The nytimes article I read definitely talked about the possibility, and they had another article about that and similar misinformation efforts potentially intended to deceive Ukrainian troops about the situation in Kherson.

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radome9 t1_ivq9dod wrote

A dose of paranoia is healthy in war, but it's been clear for days that the Russians can't hold Kherson. The Crimean bridge is still not repaired and their train lines through Zaporizhzhia oblast are within range of Ukrainian artillery, so their supply problems would be considerable even if the Ukrainians had NOT blown up all the bridges connecting Kherson to the Russian-controlled east bank of the river.

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Midnight2012 t1_ivsquwp wrote

Yeah. Their retreat from Kiev was similarly announced and still haphazard.

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Ramental t1_ivqd1bn wrote

Another problem is that there are at least 20+k Russian soldiers in Kherson and on the right side of the Dnipro river. We do not see columns of the Russians escaping, yet. Also these geniuses have exploded at least 5 small bridges on a supposed retreat already. Meaning the Russian troops will have even more difficult time to evacuate than they had so far.

Still, I don't see how Russia can play it out. Even simulating retreat would mean a weakening of positions. All Ukrainians have to do is not to rush into a trap like a bunch of sukabliats on dicktaster's orders.

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Socal_ftw t1_ivqq7rh wrote

I'm sure there is tons of hidden tnt in building too

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damattdanman t1_ivt2aqu wrote

It's also if I remember correctly a perfect place to intentionally flood by blowing up that dam further up river. Also has been clear that the Russians are putting mines everywhere. So this isn't probably much of a win at all.

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