Ukraine Diary: Retreating Russia Leaves Kherson Shell-shocked

Kherson ruin: The Russian plan for Kherson is becoming increasingly clear, and it is a sobering clarity that is emerging. They evacuated the city of Kherson – it was the great Russian capitulation, the great Ukrainian victory. Residents came out to celebrate, all ukraine On being victorious, the President symbolically came on tour. But the Russian plan was that they would make the city uninhabitable. From across the Dnieper River, there is continuous bombing — the whole city is within easy range of shelling. People have been killed, homes have been destroyed, power generation stations have been destroyed.

Whole convoys are now taking people out of the city. Families are struggling to keep warm after leaving their children. They leave behind a war zone, and the houses of Kherson remain mostly abandoned. Railway service to Kherson was resumed but now only serves to transport its residents away.

Getting the elderly out of Kherson has been a particular struggle. They are the most reluctant to leave, and the most in need. They have been given the necessary supplies, but it will be difficult to maintain in winter. Leaving home is not easy. People are being evacuated before the bitter cold. The liberation of Kherson was a success but not a success. Many people are around to celebrate. Before the Russians did not let people go, now they will not let them live.

jerked to a halt: ArcelorMittal, Ukraine’s biggest steel company, has suspended operations following the latest round of missile attacks on 23 November. The steel company has been the backbone of Ukraine’s industrial power, with a workforce of around five million tons of steel production at its peak. of 26,000.

The latest strikes meant the plant could not produce even 20 per cent, and most production has since been halted. The attacks cut power supply to the plant, which is less than 50 km from the Russian border. Plant managers say they will resume production once power is restored, but we continue to see Russian missile attacks every week or two. The plant, as it happens in Zaneski’s hometown, has been repeatedly targeted, and production has been disrupted since March of this year.

Lakshmi Mittal bought the plant in 2005 for about $5 billion and spent $5 billion on its modernization. At its peak, it produced some five million tonnes of steel a year. The Russian invasion halted most of its production. Loss of port access means production cannot be transported. The knock-on effects are, inevitably, affecting Ukraine’s defense production as well.

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