Russia orders pullout

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu yesterday ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks near the southern city of Kherson, a significant retreat and potential turning point in the war. In televised comments, General Sergei Surovikin, in overall command of the war, said it was no longer possible to supply Kherson city. He said he proposed to take up defensive lines on the eastern bank of the river. The news followed weeks of Ukrainian advances towards the city. "We will save the lives of our soldiers and fighting capacity of our units. Keeping them on the right (western) bank is futile," Surovikin said.