Putin’s army ‘humiliated’ after crushing Kherson blow, says Wallace

Russia’s withdrawal of troops from Kherson “marks another strategic failure”, with the army only achieving “international isolationism and humiliation”, Ben Wallace has boldly said. The UK Defence Secretary was speaking after the retreat of Vladimir Putin’s men from the strategic Ukrainian city in what it seen as another monumental blow to his war plan. The port city of Kherson in Ukraine was one of the first to be captured by Russian forces after tens of thousands of troops invaded on February 24.The humiliating withdrawal has sent residents into hysterics, with videos and pictures posted on social media showing them celebrating in the streets, with the Ukrainian flag flying over the city’s mains square.Now Mr Wallace had taken a massive swipe at Russian and said in a statement: ‘Russia’s announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them.”In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson. Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves: ‘What was it all for?”The Russian army has suffered a huge loss of life as a result of their illegal invasion and have only achieved international isolationism and humiliation. Ukraine will press on. Russia news: Putin’s army have been left ‘humiliated’ after the retreat from Kherson (Image: GETTY) Russia news: Vladimir Putin’s war plan is quickly starting to unravel (Image: GETTY)”The UK and the international community will continue to support them, and while the withdrawal is welcome, no one is going to underestimate the continuing threat posed by the Russian Federation.”US National security advisor Jake Sullivan said: “It does look as though the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory where the one regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under a Ukrainian flag – and that is quite a remarkable thing.”It’s a big moment and it’s due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the relentless and united support of the United States and our allies.”Defence experts have said the withdrawal from Kherson brings with it “significant reputational damage”.READ MORE: Moscow residents march to demand missile strike on Washington Russianews: Ben Wallce took a huge swipe at Putin’s army (Image: GETTY)This is horrendous timing for Putin, who has seen his troops suffer numerous devastating battlefield defeats as they continue to be pushed backwards by heroic Ukrainian counter offensive operations.An adviser to the Ukrainian Defence Minister claimed the retreat has seen “panic” emerge in the Russian ranks but warned the war is “far from over”Yuriy Sak told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We always believed that we will liberate Kherson. And we are confident that now Russians are beginning to believe that they will never be able to win this war.”We see the panic in their ranks. We see the panic in their propaganda machine. But of course, this is a very important moment, but it is too early to relax, because this war is far from over.”DON’T MISSSky reporter swarmed by tearful Ukrainians as troops liberate Kherson [VIDEO]Russian women march to frontline to demand husbands be sent home [PICTURES]Germany pulls U-turn as Scholz delays nuclear phase-out [REPORT] Russia news: Kherson residents temporarily living in Odesa embrace (Image: GETTY)(4/6) Kherson was the only regional capital city captured since February by Russian forces so the withdrawal brings significant reputational damage. The withdrawal is a public recognition of the difficulties faced by Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnipro river.- Ministry of Defence ������������ (@DefenceHQ) November 12, 2022 He added: “At the moment we are quietly optimistic. We are beginning to carry out stabilisation measures in Kherson but of course we understand that there are future battles which we will have to win.”UK intelligence analysts believe Russia’s exit from Kherson likely began on October 22 hen Russian-installed figures urged civilians to leave. It is anticipated Ukraine has already retaken large areas of the region on the western bank of the Dnipro River.Russia said its troops finished withdrawing from here at 5amlocaltime on Friday, paving the way for Ukrainians to cautiously move towards reclaiming the territory.In an intelligence update posted on Twitter this morning, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said as part of their retreat, Russian troops had “highly likely” destroyed road and rail bridges over the Dnipro River.The MoD continued: “Kherson was the only regional capital city captured since February by Russian forces so the withdrawal brings significant reputational damage.”The withdrawal is a public recognition of the difficulties faced by Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnipro River.”It is likely that Ukraine has retaken large areas of Kherson oblast on the west bank of the Dnipro River, and that its forces are now largely in control of Kherson city itself.”It is likely that Russia is still attempting to evacuate forces from other areas of the oblast across the river to defensible positions on the east bank.”