is CNN newsroom with John
Vause.
The next major flash point in
Ukraine is expected soon with
Ukraine's counteroffensive, now,
not far from kherson.
The first major city to fall to
Russia days after the invasion
and the only man to Ukraine --
under occupation.
For the past few, days the
city's main administrative
building has stopped flying the
Russian flag.
A flagpole with no flag has
raised questions about a
possible Russian retreat.
So, to talk of a troop
withdrawal on Russian media
from Kremlin appointed to the
leaders, tens of thousands of
civilians have been evacuated
from the city and surrounding
areas.
For more Russian troops have
been digging in, and fortifying
defensive position, there is no
sign of the men troop pull out
from the region.
All of this, raising Ukrainian
suspicion that, perhaps, the
Russians have laid the
groundwork for an ambush.
And, right, now it seems the
Russians are outweighing,
waiting for the harsh cold
temperatures of the coming
months.
The eu foreign policy chief
referred to general winter
coming to help its.
Army ongoing airstrikes have
been destroyed over Ukraine's
infrastructure.
Millions have been left without
electricity.
And rolling blackouts.
More g7 nations a promise to
help Ukraine's of live a
brutally cold winter from the
Russian assault, the eu foreign
policy chief was a worker.
>> They are destroying the
country.
Systematically.
They are bombing, destroying
the civil infrastructure and
millions of Ukrainians have no
longer access to electricity.
And, what Putin is willing to
do is to put the country in the
wintertime.
>> This is a war crime.
>> And, so kherson residents
there have told CNN that they
see nothing to indicate Russian
troops are leading on.
That >> The city is politically
crucial to both sides.
Russian retreat would be yet,
another major blow to Vladimir
Putin pushing back the
Ukrainian counter offensive
could give the Russians time to
regroup and re-arm.
More now from CNN's Nick
Robertson.
A top person's main government
building, a change.
No Russian flag.
On a bus nearby, residents
chair realizing a Russian
checkpoint is gone.
>> A city resident whom CNN is
not identifying for their own
security describes the changes.
[Speaking non-english]
[Interpreter]
>> Almost large their armoured
vehicles in the city, during
the day he says, and all the
military checkpoints in the
city are gone.
[End of translation]
[Interpreter]
>> The region's, Russian
installed government, told a
Russian media propagandists
that Russian troops are holding
the city for now.
But, added, most likely our
troops will leave for the east
bank.
What Russia is planning, not
clear.
Ukrainian officials fear
deception.
[End of translation]
>> We see it and realize that
this may be certain tricks.
Military maneuvers to build
correct defenses as they see
it.
Nevertheless, we see that in
kherson, there are still
regular units wearing civilian
clothes.
>> But, Ukraine still claiming
gains Thursday destroying
several boats in kherson port.
And Wednesday, destroying a
Russian surfaced air missile
system.
Often used to hit Ukrainian
civilians in nearby mykolaiv,
in the black sea to, Russia
appears on the back foot that's
grain shipments resumed
following Putin's reversal of
this refusal this past weekend
to cooperate with the un
brokered deal.
Citing new guarantees from
Ukraine.
[Speaking non-english]
[Interpreter]
>> Russia reserves the right to
withdraw from these agreements,
if, these guarantees are
breached by Ukraine.
[End of translation]
>> Another sign, according to
Ukraine, of the president, that
Putin is being forced to change.
[Speaking non-english]
[Interpreter]
>> 252 days ago, Russia
demanded security guarantees
from the United States of
America.
After eight months of the
Russian, so-called, the special
operation, the Kremlin is
demanding security guarantees
from Ukraine.
[End of translation]
>> In kherson, Putin's intent
still far from clear.
Residents report plenty of
Russian heavy weapons on the
edge of the city.
Nic Robertson, CNN, kramatorsk,
Ukraine.
David singer is a CNN political
and national security analyst,
he also covers the white house
and national security for the
New York Times.
In a spare time, he writes
books like the perfect weapon.
And, right now he isn't --
thank you for being with us.
>> Great to be with you.
Okay, so there is a constant
wave of wave after wave of
Russian attacks on soft targets
like Ukraine's car citing and
water piping plant, it's really
starting to bite.
And, it's not even winter yet.
Listen to president zelenskyy,
areas.
>> As of this evening, about
four and a half million energy
consumers have been temporarily
disconnected from consumption.
According to emergency and
stabilization schedules.
>> And, during Russia energy
terror and investing in such a
test is our national task one
of the main ones now.
>> They are keeping everyone
together during winter when the
average daytime temperature in
December, January, and February
in Ukraine is facing.
Zero celsius, 32 fahrenheit so
Putin is creating terrorism on
a scale, not seen since world
War II, in many ways.
So, what does success look like
to him?
How does he know this has
worked?
>> Well, John, first of all,
think about the number that you
heard there from president
zelenskyy.
He suggested that it was well
over 4 million to more than 10%
of the country's population
before the war started.
And, we know that millions of
course fled the country, went
to Poland, went to Romania.
Went elsewhere and so what it's
telling you is that Putin is
trying to start another flood
of refugees into Europe in the
winter he's going.
To try to freeze out those who
remain.
This is a strategy for those
who does not have a plan or
strategy for taking the country
over so let's currently freeze
them out.
A lot of people die, elderly,
young people, people who just
get hypothermia.
I've been in Ukraine during the
winter and it is as you say,
pretty bloody cold.
And this is the strategy of
somebody who is, as zelenskyy
said, decided to conduct a
terror campaign that fits on
top of the military campaign.
>> Yes, it is shameless, is
this brutal, it's cowardly and
everything and then some.
And with wind coming, the
government has urged those
Ukrainians, the millions fled
to stay outside of the country
and to stay put what they are.
And, there's a lot of
Ukrainians who are now
refugees.
Here's un high commissioner for
the refugees.
Russia invasion of Ukraine has
driven the fastest and largest
displacement witnessed
indicates.
Ukrainians are about to face
one of the world's harshest
winter in extremely difficult
circumstances.
Humanitarian organization have
dramatically scaled up their
response but much more can be
done starting with an end to
the census for.
>> Well there's one person who
could end the war in that
Vladimir Putin --
and he won't, and the meantime,
there's this need for
humanitarian systems for
Ukraine over the coming months.
Is that a much easier ask for
the eu to supply humanitarian
assistance, to get the stuff
that they need?
Our, is it such a drain know
that even that could be
difficult?
>> Well, I think that it's an
easier ask.
But, the fact of the matter is
that there is no amount of aid
that they can provide that will
necessarily get the heat
rolling again, or the
electricity back on in the
middle of the winter in
Ukraine.
The aid that they are going to
need, to take on, my guest is,
is taking in more refugees.
I think you're going to see a
significant flow again just as
you did during the original
invasion which was in late
February.
>> And, Putin is doing, this he
is targeting civilians because
he's losing on the battlefield.
And he could soon boast control
of the occupied city of
kherson.
Here's an assessment from the
un secretary --
the U.S. Secretary of defense.
On the issue of whether or not
the Ukrainians can take the
remaining territory on the west
side of the dnieper river and
--
in kherson, I certainly believe
that they have the capability
to do that.
Most importantly, the York
radiance believe that they have
the capability to do that.
>> Is this battle for the city
of kherson shaping up to be one
of the biggest bloodiest that
they've seen, so far?
>> You, know it's a little hard
to tell with the remove that we
are at right now.
And, it looks like the Russians
are doing sort of a slow
withdrawal.
There appears to have been some
difference of opinion within
the Russian leadership about
whether to give up kherson.
The withdrawal that we are
seeing, looks like it is to the
other side of the river.
But, that doesn't mean that
Russian forces would disappear
from the region entirely.
But, you know, we are caught in
the same paradox that you and I
discussed a few nights ago,
John.
Which is the worst that the
Russians do on the battlefield,
the more that they are tempted
ever to turn to Tara techniques
like the ones that we have been
discussing, targeting the
infrastructure.
Turn to cyber or perhaps turn
to new color.
The issue that we were worried
about, so much, a few weeks ago
when Russian officials were
calling their American and
European counterparts and
charging that the Ukrainians
are about to set off a dirty
bomb.
So, that is the situation that
we find ourselves in in the
winter.
It's hard to sort of believe
that we are going to see
serious negotiations this
winter.
Because a lot ski has been
pretty clear that he's winning.
And he doesn't see and need to
reach an agreement that would
allow the Russians to hold
territory.
>> Yes, this is going to --
and it's going to get worse and
worse as you say for the