IN A MAJOR BLOW TO PUTIN, RUSSIA HAS ORDERED RETREAT FROM A KEY CITY IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE. SENIOR KREMLIN OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY, RUSSIAN FORCES ARE WITHDRAWING FROM KHERSON. 

IT’S THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF MILITARY SETBACKS, AND A POTENTIAL TURNING POINT IN THE WAR, NOW NEARING THE END OF ITS NINTH MONTH.

THE NEWS FOLLOWED WEEKS OF UKRAINIAN ADVANCES TOWARD KHERSON, AND A RACE BY RUSSIA TO RELOCATE MORE THAN 100,000 RESIDENTS. 

PUTIN HAS FOUGHT FOR MONTHS TO HANG ONTO KHERSON. IT’S THE ONLY MAJOR UKRAINIAN CITY THAT RUSSIAN FORCES HAVE CAPTURED INTACT SINCE THE INVASION BEGAN FEBRUARY 24. 

UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY RUSSIA HAS BEEN DELIBERATELY BLOWING UP BRIDGES AROUND THE CITY. 

HE UKRAINIAN MILITARY HAS TARGETED THE MAIN RIVER CROSSINGS FOR MONTHS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR RUSSIA TO SUPPLY FORCES ON THE RIVER’S WEST BANK. 

SINCE BURSTING THROUGH THE RUSSIAN FRONT LINE AT THE START OF OCTOBER, THE UKRAINIANS HAVE ADVANCED DOWN THE RIVER. 

ON THE SAME DAY THE RETREAT WAS ANNOUNCED, ANOTHER BLOW FOR RUSSIA. THEIR NUMBER TWO OFFICIAL, KIRILL STREMOUSOV, WAS KILLED IN A CAR CRASH IN KHERSON.