Russian commander admits situation is ‘tense’ for his forces in Ukraine

The new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine made a rare acknowledgment of the pressures they were under from Ukrainian offensives to retake southern and eastern areas that Moscow claims to have annexed just weeks ago.

In another sign of Russian concern, the Kremlin-installed chief of the strategic southern region of Kherson on Tuesday announced an “organized, gradual displacement” of civilians from four towns on the Dnipro River.

“The situation in the area of the 'Special Military Operation' can be described as tense,” Sergei Surovikin, the Russian air force general now commanding Russia's invasion forces, told the state-owned Rossiya 24 news channel.

On Kherson, Surovikin said: “The situation in this area is difficult. The enemy is deliberately striking infrastructure and residential buildings in Kherson.”

Russian forces in Kherson have been driven back by 20-30 km (13-20 miles) in the last few weeks and are at risk of being pinned against the western bank of the 2,200-km-long Dnipro river that bisects Ukraine.