Kherson Offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (August 29 — November 11, 2022)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/uhj2025.06.018Keywords:
Russia’s war against Ukraine, Kherson offensive, Armed Forces of Ukraine, military strategy, Western assistance.Abstract
The purpose is to reconstruct the course of the Kherson offensive operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which lasted from August 29 to November 11, 2022, and to determine its strategic, operational, and tactical significance in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and impartiality, employing the problem-chronological method and methods of military science: operational-strategic and tactical-combat analysis, assessment of force ratios, study of combat operations within the framework of “centers of gravity” and logistical hubs, as well as source criticism. The scientific novelty lies in a comprehensive study of the combat operations on the right bank of the Kherson region and adjacent areas of the Mykolaiv region in the autumn of 2022, an analysis of the interaction between mechanized, artillery, aviation, and special units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an assessment of the organization of the Russian troops’ withdrawal, and the strategic consequences of the liberation of Kherson. In addition, a comparative analysis of the Kherson offensive and the Slobozhan counteroffensive operations has been conducted, which makes it possible to identify the common and distinctive features of both campaigns and to determine their place in the evolution of Ukrainian operational art. Main results. The Kherson offensive operation became the first large-scale offensive campaign of the Armed Forces of Ukraine within the strategic deployment of the war. It was conducted under conditions of a well-fortified enemy defense and relied on the systematic destruction of the logistics and command posts of the Russian army using precision weapons, primarily HIMARS rocket systems. Ukrainian command combined deep strikes against rear areas with the gradual advance of mechanized and artillery units. Western military-technical assistance played an important role, ensuring the effectiveness of the operation. The culmination was the liberation of the city of Kherson and the entire right-bank part of the region, with a total area of more than 6,000 square kilometers. Enemy losses in equipment and manpower were among the highest in the war at that time, while the Russian withdrawal had significant psychological and strategic consequences. The article offers a comprehensive analysis of this operation in southern Ukraine, based on verified sources and modern methods of war-historical research.
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