KEVAL MARIMUTHU
THE Russo-Ukrainian War is on its way to becoming the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. At the current rate, it will surpass the 140,000+ deaths in the decade-long Yugoslav wars. A US estimate places military losses (killed and wounded in action) at over 200,000 soldiers. This figure does not include the needless and unforgivable deaths of countless civilians.
In economic terms, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that one trillion US dollars is required to rebuild his nation. Conservative estimates by Reuters put the figure closer to US$310 billion.
As the conflict enters its tenth month, what initially appeared to be a three-day dash to Kyiv has ground down to a slow, grinding war of attrition. The front lines, with the key exceptions of Kharkiv and Kherson, have remained mostly static. In the Kharkiv region, the Russians positioned themselves on the outskirts of Kharkiv City from the onset of Moscow's "special military operation." In mid-September, realising the hopeless situation, the Russians pulled out of the region. Their advantage in artillery and air power could not compensate for the Ukrainian army's overwhelming numerical superiority.
In early November, Gen Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, ordered the withdrawal from Kherson City. Kherson is one of the four regions annexed by Russia during their "gunpoint referendums" in September. The retreat elicited shock and outrage from the Russian domestic public as Kherson was the largest city captured since the beginning of the invasion in February.
The Kremlin had even installed advertisement billboards in Kherson City boldly proclaiming, "Russia is here, forever." It turns out that forever is less than a year.
The Ukrainian Government heralded Kherson as a significant turning point in the conflict, a capstone for the progress made in the Kharkiv region. To them, it signalled a momentum shift in their favour. It also handed the beleaguered Ukrainian public a much-needed morale boost. The Russians, conversely, gave up a geographically strategic position on the coast to the detriment of their quest to landlock Ukraine. Why did they do this? The answer is two-fold.
Firstly, we must understand that Kherson City lies on the left bank of the Dnieper River. It was Russia's only foothold on that side of the river. Using American-made HIMARS, the Ukrainians destroyed all bridges connecting the Russian-controlled right bank to the city on the left bank. This wreaked havoc on Russia's ability to supply forces on the left side and forced the use of makeshift pontoon bridges.
Secondly, the Russian high command feared the Ukrainians would destroy the Nova Kakhovka Dam situated upriver from Kherson City. The ensuing wave would have completely flooded Kherson City and cut already strained supply lines, leaving over 30,000 Russian soldiers stranded at the mercy of the Ukrainian army. With these reasons in mind, Surovikin ordered the withdrawal.
As previously mentioned, this conflict has morp
