Ukrainian partisans in Kherson told the Reuters agency how they helped the special services to collect information about the Russian occupiers.
According to one of the members of the underground with the call sign "Dolar", in the fall of 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) learned that FSB employees were staying at the Ninel hotel in the city center. "Dollar" was asked to check it out and he drove by the hotel with his wife and an accomplice called "Kasatka".
The presence of armed guards, whom they regularly saw outside the hotel, convinced the couple that FSB officers were inside. "Dollar" reported this to its supervisor at the SBU.
On the morning of October 5, a powerful explosion rang out in the hotel. According to media reports, two FSB officers and seven more Russian soldiers were killed at the time. After that, according to the partisan, he received a message from the curator: "See how is it going at the Ninel Hotel." In response, "Dolar" wrote: "The hotel does not exist at all."
"Dollar" together with other Kherson citizens (with the callsigns "Kolya" and "Mart") first tried to resist the Russians on March 1. Then they wanted to block Antonivka Bridge with concrete blocks to prevent the Russians from advancing, but they didnʼt have time — the occupiers had already entered the city.
After that, the Ukrainian partisans developed an underground network to which the residents of Kherson were involved. Kolya, as an skilled hunter, knew the Kherson region well. He received information from the villagers. In particular, the partisans were helped by an elderly woman who counted Russian equipment while milking a cow.
Mart also collected intelligence on the location of Russian troops at Kherson Airport in Chornobaivka. His network of informants was called "Miami" and consisted of five people. The occupiers placed their headquarters at the airport, after which it was repeatedly attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At the end of August, the Russians arrested four members of the "Miami" group. Its founder (with the call sign Mart) managed to escape to the territory controlled by Ukraine.
Two American officials told Reuters that it was precisely such operations by Ukrainian guerrillas that helped accelerate the retreat of the Russians from Kherson.