Ukrainian defenders can de-occupy Kherson from Russian invaders by the end of 2022.
This was stated by the head of the Main Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with "Ukrainian Pravda".
He noted that the Russians are indeed "evacuating" Promsvyazbank and other financial structures from Kherson, which they themselves brought there.
But in many aspects there is more informational operation and manipulation. Yes, the occupiers take out cash, the servers, the so-called occupation authorities, transfer all the non-walking and seriously injured, try to discharge those who can walk as soon as possible from the hospitals, and conduct this information campaign that "we care about people".
"That is, they create the illusion that everything is gone. And at the same time, on the contrary, they bring new military units there and prepare the streets of the city for defense," said Budanov.
According to him, the Russians understand that if the Armed Forces take at least control over the Kakhov Dam, which is now the only transport artery that is fully functional, they will have to make a quick decision: either very, very quickly leave the city and get out, or they risk to be in the same situation as the Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol.
"Understanding all this, they are preparing the groundwork so that, if necessary, they can get out of there very quickly. However, they are not preparing for an exit now, they are preparing for defense," added the head of the GUR.
Mining of the Kakhovskaya HPP
Budanov confirmed that the dam was partially mined. He emphasized that its detonation will definitely cause an environmental disaster.
"There are simply other aspects. The first: why do it - what will they lose and what will they gain? And the second: you can blow up the dam partially, or you can blow it up completely. Well, in order to blow it up completely, such work was not carried out. Mining was carried out partly for partial destruction , if necessary," he said.
The head of intelligence noted that in order to destroy a structure of this level, tens of tons of explosives, correctly located, are needed. You can't put KaMAZ anywhere, it won't help.
In case of complete destruction of the dam, the left bank of the Kherson region will be completely flooded. The Russians will lose, even in theory, the possibility of supplying water to the North Crimean Canal, to Crimea.
They will also destroy the Zaporizhzhya NPP's existence, because this facility is inextricably linked to it. The occupiers will also make it difficult for the armed forces to advance for a certain period of time - about two weeks.
At the same time, the occupiers themselves will be forced to retreat directly to the Crimea. Budanov believes that the Russians are not ready for such an analysis of events.
In the case of a partial destruction of the dam, the invaders will disable the lock section, engine rooms and make the dam unusable for its intended use. At the same time, the North Crimean Canal will be preserved, there will be some spillage of water, but not so terrible. The advancement of the Armed Forces will also be complicated.