Ukraine appears to be advancing its forces cautiously toward the southern region of Kherson following Russia's announcement about withdrawing its troops from a strategically important area in the region.

Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday ordered his troops to withdraw from the western side of the Dnipro River, which includes the regional capital of Kherson.

A Russian commander said the best option is to organize defense along the eastern bank of the river.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, "we move very carefully." He said, "In the interests of the liberation of our entire land and so that losses are as small as possible."
Britain's defense ministry said in an intelligence update on Thursday, "The loss of Kherson's west bank will likely prevent Russia from achieving its strategic aspiration of a land bridge reaching Odesa," a southern Ukrainian port city.

The ministry warned, "Russian forces have destroyed multiple bridges and likely laid mines to slow and delay advancing Ukrainian forces." It said, "It is likely that the withdrawal will take place over several days."

The US think tank Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday that Russian commanders will certainly attempt to slow Ukrainian advances to maintain an orderly withdrawal.

It also said the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson direction has likely succeeded.

The withdrawal decision has been favorably accepted by Russia's hardliners, including Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russian private military company Wagner Group, and Ramzan Kadyrov, who is loyal to President Vladimir Putin and the leader of Chechen fighters in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Institute for the Study of War said many military experts in Russia praised the decision as necessary.

It said Russian leadership has learned from the information effects of the disastrous Russian withdrawal from Kharkiv region in mid-September.