Russian soldier warns Putin ‘will lose Crimea’ after Kherson retreat

A Russian soldier has admitted they ‘will lose Crimea’ as Putin’s forces retreat from the southern city of Kherson just 150 kilometres north. THe Russian fighter, who was previously in Kherson and is known only as ’13th’, posted a video in which he explained the extent of issues facing Russian soldiers. He suggested a retreat from Kherson was not simple because they do not have vehicles that can ‘cross water obstacles’, referring to the need to navigate the Dnipro River to the southeast of the port city. He also admitted that Russian civilians did not understand the extent of difficulty facing the soldiers in combat, telling his followers that if they did know, they would ‘start having heart problems like I do’. The Russian soldier said: ‘Some brilliant people have written to me: ‘We will return Kherson! Do not get upset! Calm down.’ ‘The admin of my ‘Military Potential’ channel tells me: ‘Run a live stream to calm people down.’ ‘But I think if I run live stream, people will start having heart problems like I do. And those saying ‘we will return Kherson’ – guys, if we keep fighting like this, and that is exactly what is going on, we will lose Crimea. ‘And next, I am telling you, if someone thinks that we have vehicles that can cross water obstacles, we will gift him our BTR-80, which can dive once into the water obstacle and it will not reemerge. It will be its last dive.’  Vladimir Putin was warned by a Russian soldier that Crimea will be next after Kherson (Image: GETTY ) Ukraine soldiers prepare to advance on the city of Kherson (Image: GETTY )Ukraine looks poised to reclaim the strategic city of Kherson on the southern frontline as advancing forces liberated a further 12 nearby settlements. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said on Thursday morning that his army had advanced four miles in two directions on the southern front and the 12 settlements had been recaptured from the Russians in just the past 24 hours.On Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 41 settlements had been liberated from Russian occupation. He said: ‘Today we have good news from the south. The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place as part of the ongoing defence operation is already dozens.’ READ MORE: Putin ‘stuck’ with war plan amid Kherson retreat [REVEAL]  Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed caution at the Kherson retreat (Image: GETTY )Russia looks to have given up Kherson despite its value to their war effort, attempting to pull out soldiers to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River using barges. But Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky, said on Thursday that Russia was planning to turn Kherson into a ‘city of death’ for advancing Ukrainian troops. He said Russian forces had laid booby traps and mines, and would be carrying out extensive artillery strikes once the Ukrainians had arrived in Kherson. President Zelensky also urged caution, saying: ‘The enemy does not bring us gifts.’DON’T MISS: Russia’s Kherson humiliation is no bluff, Putin’s war is over – STU… [OPINION] ‘Putin’s hands over the red button’ warned Ukrainian MP [REPORT] Kyiv tipped to declare victory ‘by summer’ after Kherson retreat [REVEAL]  Crimea is roughly 150 kilometers south of Kherson (Image: EXPRESS)If Ukraine takes Kherson, they may look to push further south towards Crimea, which is just 150 kilometres away but is well-defended. Mr Zelensky has been clear that despite the area being annexed eight years ago, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will recapture it. In his nightly address on October 25, he said: ‘We will definitely liberate Crimea. We will return this part of our country not only to the all-Ukrainian space, but also to the all-European space.’But former UK chief of the defence staff Lord Richards earlier this week warned that an attack on Crimea would lead to a ‘very bloody battle’. He added that a successful liberation would amount to ‘rubbing Putin’s nose in it’ and could risk nuclear war. READ NEXT: Russian official insists ‘Ukraine as a country should not exist’British troops training Ukrainians for war horrorUS on alert after observing Russia preparing for possible nuclear testPutin ‘to opt for nuclear option’ if Ukraine attempt Crimea recoveryRussia not ‘equipped to cope’ with Ukrainian winter