Russian State Media Corrects Misinformation on Russian Retreat from Ukraine Conflict

Russian state media recently published and quickly retracted reports about a withdrawal of forces from the western bank of the Dnipro River. According to the reports, Russia's defense ministry announced that troops were being moved to more favorable positions on the eastern side of the river, which is occupied by Russia. The stories were retracted shortly after they were published, with the Russian defense ministry blaming a fake account linked to Ukraine for the false report. Ukraine accused Russia of conducting a disinformation operation against them. This incident occurred almost a year after Russian forces withdrew from the left bank, including the city of Kherson. The Dnipro River continues to separate Ukrainian and Russian forces, and the retracted reports claimed that Russia had repositioned troops to carry out offensive operations in other areas. The Kremlin refused to comment, stating that it was a matter for the military. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have escalated attacks targeting Russian forces across the Dnipro as part of their counter-offensive strategy. Ukraine aims to slice through Russian occupied territory, cutting off a land corridor to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. Despite Russian attempts to repel Ukrainian forces from the east bank, Ukrainian personnel and equipment have still been able to transfer to positions on that side of the river, according to the US-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War. In a separate incident, an explosion in the occupied city of Melitopol claimed the lives of at least three Russian officers. Ukrainian military intelligence claimed responsibility for the blast, stating it was an act of revenge by local resistance forces. Ukrainian fighters have claimed responsibility for targeting and killing Russian officials and local collaborators using car bombs and explosions.