War of attrition likely to go on

The image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being greeted warmly by the citizens of the recently liberated city of Kherson must be sticking in the throats of the Russian military and political elite.

This was the city they annexed and declared, effectively, to be part of Russian territory, so this is a massive setback for President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of its alleged Nazi leadership.

While the recapture of Kherson in no way indicates the Russians are crumbling – and, indeed, the Russian military withdrawal may have been a tactical one because the city is difficult to defend and re-supply – it may improve the impetus for peace talks to resolve the conflict.

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There has already been speculation that perhaps Kherson, on the west bank of the Dnieper River, might be surrendered to Kyiv in return for Russia being allowed to keep the rest of the territory it has annexed in Ukraine.

That doesn’t seem likely given that this invasion is illegal in terms of international law and the fact there is evidence of Russian atrocities in Kherson during its occupation. What seems more probable is that this bloody war of attrition will continue for a long time yet.