Posted on 09/12/2022 4:03:05 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
Explosions shake the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson throughout the day. Internet, electricity and water are sporadic. Prices for basic goods, such as food and soap, are skyrocketing. Hundreds of cars are lined up trying to leave the city. By 4 p.m., the streets are empty.
Ukraine has launched a military offensive aimed at retaking Kherson and upending a key goal of Vladimir Putin’s war: eliminating independent Ukrainian identity. How that liberation effort plays out is a test case for Russia’s efforts to mold the territory and its people in its own image. As Ukraine recaptures territory this weekend in a lightning offensive in the country’s northeastern Kharkiv region, residents of Kherson are trying to hang on, waiting for their army to arrive and doing what they can to resist Russification.
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Two weeks ago, Ukrainian troops began pushing southeast toward the Dnipro River, after weeks of airstrikes on bridges, as well as ammunition depots and command posts. Their aim is to deprive Russian troops of supplies and squeeze them out of Kherson, located on the Dnipro’s west bank.
The offensive has forced Moscow-installed authorities to put on hold plans for a vote on joining Russia. Still, they are pushing ahead with efforts to consolidate their hold on the region—and cracking down on anything that looks pro-Ukrainian. They opened schools on Sept. 1, despite the shelling, and have warned parents that children who aren’t enrolled could be taken away from them. On TV, banner ads at the bottom of the screen promise 10,000 Russian rubles, about $165, to anyone who turns in Ukrainian sympathizers. Troops roam the city in trucks, pulling down garage doors and breaking into apartments in search of Ukrainian partisans.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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