One indicator was the "foreign mercenaries" in the assault craft trying to land around the ZNPP to storm it.
“it sounds like there may be NATurd, US and other national troops embedded with the Ukiefodder in the open-steppe Kherson assault.”
CLEARLY the case. Anything who thinks the Ukranians, or any otherwise non-experienced military, can quickly learn to operate the latest Whizz-Bang NATO hardware is INSANE.
I think at this point Russia figures that they have it under control, even with NATO involved, so they’ll just whack them at the same time.