On 9 November, Russian troops left the western bank of the Dnieper River. The Institute for the Study of War stated that “the coordinated interdiction campaign aimed at pushing Russian forces back across the Dnieper with no need for major Ukrainian offensive operations, was likely successful.” They also noted that this did not appear to be a trap to draw Ukrainian forces into costly battles near Kherson. According to the UK’s Ministry of National Defence, “the loss of the western bank of the Dnieper River will likely prevent the Russian Federation from realizing its strategic aspiration - to create a land corridor to Odessa.” In the days following the announced withdrawal, Russian forces destroyed key infrastructure in Kherson, including a power plant, a thermal power station, a local radio station, and radio towers, leaving the city without electricity and water. Additionally, some roads and infrastructure were mined.

Mark Milley, US Army General, provided an estimate on the number of casualties as of 24 February 2022. He stated that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers and probably the same number of Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the war. Moreover, about 40,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed since the beginning of the invasion.

On 10 November, the Czech Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement not to accept Russia’s travel documents issued in Ukraine and Georgia. As a result, Russia’s travel documents issued in, or to persons resident in, Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine or breakaway territories in Georgia, would not be accepted as valid travel documents for obtaining a visa or crossing the borders of the Schengen area.

On 11 November, Ukrainian forces entered Kherson. However, 70% of the Kherson oblast, located east of the Dnieper River, remained under Russian control. The occupation authorities relocated their administrative center to Henichesk. 

In the following days, intense fighting continued on the eastern front, resulting in heavy losses on both sides. Following their withdrawal from Kherson, Russian forces intensified operations in the Donetsk region, bolstering their presence with troops redeployed from the Kherson area. The Russians also persisted in their offensives towards Bakhmut and Avdiivka. 

On 14 November, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the newly liberated city of Kherson. “In the Kherson region, the Russian army left behind the same atrocities as in other regions of our country, where it was able to enter,” he said in an evening speech on 13 November. As Zelensky reported, investigators had already documented more than 400 war crimes in the region. “The bodies of the killed are being found, both civilians and military,” the Ukrainian President said. On the day of President Zelensky’s visit, Kherson’s population was 80,000, decreasing by 200,000 since the war began.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the creation of an inventory of war damage caused by Russia in Ukraine and the establishment of an international mechanism for reparations. As Reuters reported, “this is to be the first step on the road to war reparations.” 

On 15 November, the Council launched the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) to continue supporting Ukraine against the ongoing Russian war of aggression. The aim of the mission was to enhance the military capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to allow them to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Moreover, the Council adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) worth €16 million to support the capacity building of the Ukrainian armed forces. 

Russia had launched one of the largest missile attacks since the beginning of the war, targeting Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv, as well as 15 energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. Fires were reported in the Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, while shelling caused significant power and water shortages in the regions of Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv,Volyn, Rivne, and Ternopil. The most severe damage occurred in the northern and central parts of the country. According to the Ukrainian government, more than seven million households in Ukraine were left without power. The aftermath of Russian airstrikes also extended to the Republic of Moldova, which experienced power outages. 

During the attacks, a missile struck the Polish territory, in the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine, killing two civilians.

Illustrative photo. Generated by AI