Kiev fears the Russian military has set traps in Kherson and turned it into a “city of death”.

In the market town of Mykolayiv, a large city in southern Ukraine, about 100 kilometers northwest of Kherson, where journalists from Agence France-Presse visited, many residents say they doubt the withdrawal of troops from the only regional capital captured in the eight-month war. .

“Why should they now rise up and go with all their might after defending Gerson for eight months?”, asks 59-year-old mechanic Igor Kosorotov. Earlier in the day, the general in charge of Russian military operations in Ukraine, Sergei Surovykin, announced that the west bank of the Dnieper would be retaken. ” soon “. But Ukraine’s military remains cautious, saying it could neither confirm nor deny the information “Withdrawal of Accusation”.

“How can you believe what they say?” »Volodymyr Vybridsky, a driver, smiles between two vegetables and a hat. “How can we believe these people who always say they are our brothers? Can you trust men who kill their brothers? », asks this 55-year-old man. For months, the Kremlin has officially confirmed that Russians and Ukrainians form a single people separated by geopolitical faults.
Svitlana Kritchenko, a saleswoman, says she was unaware of Moscow’s announcement and that friends told her the Russians were reinforcing Kherson. According to her, “We can’t trust them, nobody’s going to give us anything back.”.

In recent days, satellite images have shown the Russians digging trenches on the left bank of the Dnieper on the other side of the river. These positions may allow the Russians to be much better positioned to target Ukrainian troops entering Kherson. For Mechanic Kosorodo, “The Russians will destroy the city, and then you will go there.” “They will drown it in the river”He declares colorfully.