An Update on Ukraine

By Lauren MacDonald | December 1, 2022

While the rest of the world has become caught up in breaking news, the war in Ukraine continues to escalate. Most recently, international eyes have been trained on Kherson, a critical city for Russia’s war efforts. For a while, it seemed that Kherson was secured by Russia, but Ukraine has begun to reclaim this territory.

Kherson is on the southern end of Ukraine and shares a border with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kherson is a city that allows access to the Black Sea, which would enable Russia to establish vital trading routes and assert its dominance over Ukraine. Kherson was one of the first cities that Russia conquered in their war efforts, kickstarting Russia’s success and giving them access to a strategically advantageous city. Throughout the summer, Kherson was quickly folded into Russia, with the Russian ruble being accepted as a viable currency. By June 2022, Kherson residents were given new Russian documents that recognized their new allegiance to Russia.

Right around this time, the United States began funneling military aid to Ukraine, shipping HIMARs to the Ukrainian military. HIMARS is an advanced transportable rocket system that can hold varying types of missiles in high capacities. These long range missiles enabled Ukrainian soldiers to begin targeting bridges that connected Kherson to other Russian-occupied territories. This marked a turning point in the war, as Ukrainian forces began to force their way back into Kherson. In October 2022, President Putin of Russia signed official documents, recognizing Kherson and other territories as part of the Russian Federation. The only foreign government that acknowledged the annexation was North Korea. At this time, Ukrainian forces had sparked hope for Ukrainians, fighting back against Russian troops and reclaiming Ukrainian territory.

On November 11, after Moscow abandoned Kherson, Ukrainian forces entered the city to celebrate their success. Kherson has rejoined Ukraine once more, and there is no telling which direction the war in Ukraine will take next.

Edited by Colin Jones

Sources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraines-zelensky-visits-newly-recaptured-kherson-11668428367?mod=hp_lead_pos7 https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-looks-to-cement-full-control-of-kherson-after-russian-retreat-11668255422?mod=article_inline https://www.wsj.com/articles/kremlins-backers-rush-to-defend-russias-retreat-from-kherson-11668103353?mod=article_inline https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/himars.html