Russian Forces in Kherson Brace for Ukrainian Counterattack

A serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces takes part in military drills at a training ground near the border with Russian-annexed Crimea in Kherson region, on Nov. 17, 2021. Press Service of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/via Reuters

Russian forces and their local allies consolidated their positions in Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 26, dispelling rumors of an imminent Russian withdrawal from the strategic region.

“The Russians are replenishing, strengthening their grouping there [in Kherson],” Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an evening address on Oct. 25.