UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 630 - 13. NOVEMBER 2023

Russian state media reports on the "redeployment" of Russian forces from the eastern (left) bank of the Kherson region to positions further east of the Dnipro River were published and later retracted.

This indicates that the Russian leadership and/or state Russian media failed to establish a coordinated information line on the Russian response to ongoing Ukrainian ground operations on the eastern bank.

The Kremlin's press service, TASS, and the Russian state media RIA Novosti published reports stating that the command of the Russian "Dnepr" group (currently active in the Kherson region on the eastern bank) had decided to move troops to unspecified "more advantageous positions" east of the Dnipro River, and that the Russian military command would relocate parts of the "Dnepr" group for offensive operations in other directions after the redeployment. TASS and RIA Novosti retracted their reports within minutes, and TASS later apologized for the "erroneous" publication. The state Russian news agency RBK reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense had described reports of a redeployment on the eastern bank of the Kherson region as "false" and a "provocation." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to questions about the situation in the Kherson region by stating that only the Russian military could and should comment on the situation.

The complete Russian Offensive Update 630 is available directly at UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR