In an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Russia had 40,000 troops in Kherson Region and that it still had forces in the city, around the city and on the west bank of the vast Dnipro River despite announcing their retreat.
"It's not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, (it will take) one week," he told Reuters, saying it was difficult to predict Russia's actions and that Kyiv was focused on its own plan.
He suggested it would take Russia at least a week to withdraw its troops from the southern city of Kherson and that winter would slow down battlefield operations, giving both sides a chance to regroup.