Russia put off announcing Kherson retreat until after US midterm polls: Report

Russia-Ukraine War: The report said that senior Russian officials discussed the US midterms as a major factor during talks about the withdrawal announcement.

Russia may have delayed announcing its withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson in order to avoid the Joe Biden administration from projecting it as a political win ahead of the midterm elections, CNN reported citing US intelligence. The report said that senior Russian officials discussed the US midterms as a major factor during talks about the withdrawal announcement.

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukrainian serviceman standing in attention during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the newly liberated city of Kherson. (AFP)

Waiting until after the US election was always a “pre-planned condition” of Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, the report said. If not for the US midterms, Russia had few other operational options and had been preparing to pull back for weeks, the report said. The report said that this decision shows Russia has a continued interest in influencing the US political landscape.

US president Joe Biden last week also appeared to hint that the US believed that the timing of Russia’s announcement was more than mere coincidence.

“I find it interesting they waited until after the election to make that judgement, which we knew for some time they were going to be doing, and it’s evidence of the fact that they have some real problems – the Russian military,” Joe Biden said.

Joe Biden also said that he hoped that with the midterm elections over, the Russians will be more willing to negotiate the release of US citizens detained in Russia, including Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.