Ukrainian forces are poised to win back a major city which will be a huge victory and a catastrophe for Vladimir Putin as he is warned this is “the beginning of his end.”

When Ukrainian troops take full control of the “strategically vital” city of Kherson this will have huge implications for Putin which will decided who wins the war.

Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, warned, “Kherson is strategically vital. Russians need it for the image of their success and for advancing to Odessa and further.

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“If Ukraine retakes it, this might be the beginning of Putin’s end.

“He knows it, so the fight will be extremely hard.”

Last week Russian soldiers were warned to “retreat or be annihilated” from Kherson after they have destroyed a key river crossing, they did not and are now paying a hefty price with their lives.

Ukrainian forces are killing hundreds upon hundreds of Putin’s troops weekly in the eastern region of Ukraine and the Russian leader “clearly knows he is in alot of trouble.”

Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert Service, warned in an article, “The unfolding campaign to regain control over this strategically vital southern Ukrainian city is likely to be the most important engagement since the Battle of Kyiv and could prove decisive in determining the ultimate outcome of the war.

“Preparations for a major Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south of the country have been underway since May.

“After weeks of minor advances in the surrounding countryside that have seen Ukrainian forces liberate more than fifty towns and villages, there is now a mounting sense that the Battle of Kherson is about to begin.

“A Ukrainian victory would have huge psychological and practical implications for both sides.

“It would demonstrate to international audiences that the Ukrainian military is more than capable of forcing Russia to retreat from well-established defensive positions and convince Ukraine’s partners to continue providing military and financial support.

“Meanwhile, defeat in Kherson would be personally humiliating for Vladimir Putin and would spark further demoralisation within the ranks of his depleted invasion force.”

Dickinson further warned that “Kherson’s fate will shape the future direction of the war.”

He added, “As the sole regional capital captured by Putin’s troops and the only major Ukrainian city on the western side of the Dnipro River currently in Kremlin hands, Kherson holds the key to Russian ambitions in southern Ukraine.

“Moscow must retain control over Kherson in order to achieve its goal of advancing to Odessa and occupying Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coastline.

“If Ukraine retakes the city, Russia will be confined to Left Bank Ukraine and will face the prospect of further counter-offensives aiming to push Putin’s army out of southern Ukraine altogether.”