The British defence ministry has shared a daily update on the situation on the ground in Ukraine, turning to the upheaval in the southern Kherson region.
The intelligence briefing stated: “On 18 October 2022, recently appointed commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, told Russian media that ‘a difficult situation has emerged’ in the Kherson area.
“He endorsed the previously announced plans of the occupation authorities to evacuate the civilian population.
“As the overall operational commander, Surovikin’s announcement highlighting negative news about the ‘special military operation’ is highly unusual.
“It likely indicates that the Russian authorities are seriously considering a major withdrawal of their forces from the area west of the Dnipro river.
“A key challenge of any Russian withdrawal operation would be extracting troops and their equipment across the 1000m wide river in good order.
“With all the permanent bridges severely damaged, Russia would highly likely rely heavily on a temporary barge bridge it completed near Kherson in recent days, and military pontoon ferry units, which continue to operate at several locations.”