Liberation of Kherson may last until end of November, - Budanov
The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov believes that the operation to liberate the temporarily occupied Kherson will most likely last until the end of November.
He said this in an interview with The Drive, Censor.NET reports.
"Most likely, the operation to capture Kherson will last until the end of next month," he said.
According to Budanov, the most prepared and combat-capable Russian units are currently in Kherson. A large part of them are the airborne troops of the Russian Federation, the Russian special forces and the marines, that is, the most combat-capable units that Russia has. These units form the backbone of the group, which is also strengthened by the mobilized composition.
The head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense added that the combat component of the Russian troops in the Kherson direction is approximately 40,000 soldiers.
Budanov also commented on the possible undermining of the Kakhovska HPP by the Russian occupiers.
"According to our assessment, if such a decision is taken, they will only blow up the road that passes through the dam to make it impossible for our vehicles to pass, as well as the locks of the dam, which will lead to only partial destruction of the facility," he noted.
He noted that this could happen when Ukrainian troops take Kherson and the Russians decide to withdraw: "After withdrawing from the western bank, they may start doing this to prevent our advance to the eastern bank."
