GOING FOR GOLD

Kyiv Trolls Russia’s ‘Triathlon’ Retreat from Kherson as Dozens of Towns Recaptured

Ukrainian troops are said to be closing in on the crucial city as Putin’s forces flee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff on Friday morning mocked Russia’s humiliating retreat from the occupied city of Kherson, the only regional capital Moscow had captured since the invasion began. “The Russian army leaves the battlefield in triathlon mode: running with obstacles, long jumps, swimming,” Andriy Yermak wrote. Ukrainian forces are reportedly reclaiming dozens of settlements as they advance towards Kherson in southern Ukraine, where occupying forces are said to have blown up bridges to slow the Kyiv counterattack. Moscow on Wednesday announced it had ordered its troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro river in what appears to be a major blow for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to establish a land bridge to Crimea, though some Western officials have cautioned that the retreat could be the setup for an ambush.