Day 207: Clashes Erupt in Kherson; Putin 'Failing On All Of His Military Strategic Objectives', Says UK Defense Chief

Facts

• Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations on Sun., after a video emerged showing clashes in the centre of the city of Kherson on Sat. evening. The Russian-installed administration in the occupied city later claimed to have "destroyed" a group of attackers, while Natalia Gumeniuk, the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian southern army command, claimed the video showed "provocations by the occupiers."
• According to US think tank, Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian military officials on Sat. confirmed the continuation of the Ukrainian interdiction campaign in Kherson Oblast. The claim has reportedly been corroborated by social media footage.
• Ukraine's military also claimed on Sat. that Russian forces are preparing retreat routes from the southern region of Kherson: "Due to the successful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to disable all crossings across the Dnipro River on the Kherson front, the occupiers are preparing their retreat routes," a spokesperson said.
• Reports of retreats come as Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the UK's defense staff, said that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin is "failing on all of his military strategic objectives." The conflict is likely to "grind on for a long time," he added.
• In other news, Britain stated on Sat. that Russia had broadened its strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in the last week, pounding targets in eastern Ukraine. Five civilians were reportedly killed in Russian attacks in the eastern region of Donetsk in the past day.
• Meanwhile, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - the UN's nuclear watchdog - Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has begun receiving power again, after external power lines that connect it to the national grid were repaired.

Sources: Guardian, Understanding War, CNN, Reuters, and BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New Scientist. Experts have made it clear – the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant presents the risk of another Chernobyl. Nuclear disaster has, miraculously, been avoided so far, but continuing risks the safety and effectiveness of staff to control the reactors could have catastrophic consequences.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Politico. Although Zaporizhzhia's cooling systems will be relatively vulnerable due to their contact with the outside world, the worst case scenario would only cause serious damage at a local level. Both Russia and Ukraine are over stating the risk of nuclear catastrophe to galvanize domestic support for the invasion and play upon Western fears to incentivize providing military and public support respectively.

Predictions