ISW: Russian Army Retreats From Kherson, Preparing For ‘Foreign Flag’ Operation

The flight of the occupiers is noticeable in satellite images.

Russia, apparently, continues to prepare an operation under a “foreign flag” to destroy the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, which it intends to blame Ukraine for.

This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russian troops seem to be starting to move equipment and vehicles from the western bank of the Dnieper in anticipation of the impending offensive of the Ukrainian army.

Experts cite messages from Kherson Telegram channels about the looting and removal of property and equipment from the city fire station, and also refer to satellite images showing cargo ferries carrying significant amounts of equipment and other cargo from the right bank of the Dnieper to the left and returning empty.

It seems that the Russian army has learned a lesson from the panicked retreat near Kharkiv, which left a considerable amount of military equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainians, analysts conclude.

Other Key ISW Takeaways

The White House has confirmed that the Iranian military is in the occupied Crimea to assist Russian forces in carrying out drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Iran is providing military support to Russian forces in Ukraine despite new international sanctions, likely in part because its leaders believe they need Moscow's help to disrupt the US-led global order.

Russian troops reinforce limited reclaimed positions in the northeast of the Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian forces have advanced into the northern part of the Kherson region as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue their interception campaign.

Russian forces continued to conduct ground operations in the Donetsk region, but Russian sources denied their own claims of control of Bakhmut. Russian forces are likely to continue to falsify claims of an offensive in the Bakhmut region to portray their gains in at least one sector against the backdrop of continued losses in northeastern and southern Ukraine.

Russian regional governments and the Russian Ministry of Defense continue to accuse each other of military administrative miscalculations.

Earlier, it became known that, according to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russians are trying to create information conditions in order to undermine the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, and blame Ukraine for this.