Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Kherson is “ours” after his forces entered the city in a setback for Vladimir Putin.
The President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Friday was a historic day for Ukraine after Russia announced withdrawal of its troops from the West bank of the Kherson region.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the military units involved in the operation and praised everyone, from privates to generals, the Armed Forces, Intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard and all those who brought this day closer for Kherson region.
The city’s change of control followed a rapid Ukrainian counter-offensive in recent months, in which Kyiv recaptured 41 settlements near Kherson.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, “We are returning the south of our country, we are returning Kherson. I am happy to see how people, despite all the threats, despite the repressions, abuse of the occupiers, kept Ukrainian flags, believed in Ukraine.”
He added that stabilization measures would follow due to the threat of mines. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian soldiers were welcomed into Kherson by jubilant residents. The locals were flying Ukraine’s national flag and singing patriotic songs around a large campfire well into the night. Kherson was the only regional capital taken by Russia after February’s invasion. The retreat has been seen as one of its biggest setbacks of the war.
Crowds chanted “glory to our heroes” and “glory to Ukraine” as Ukrainian soldiers mixed with smiling civilians. The residents are working to remove any traces of the occupiers’ stay from the streets, including Russian symbols.
Russia said that 30,000 personnel have been taken out of the area along with 5,000 pieces of military hardware, weaponry and other assets. The Russian troops who occupied Kherson are taking up new positions on the Eastern side of the Dnipro river. The White House hailed what it called an “extraordinary victory”. However, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine – Dmytro Kuleba the war goes on.
Russia had previously said that Kherson is its own territory, after running so-called referendums in 4 occupied provinces of Ukraine. These votes were widely discredited by the international community, and Ukraine kept up its efforts to take back the affected land.
The Russian-installed regional administration in Kherson has claimed that the city of Henichesk is the new temporary capital of the region. Henichesk is a port city along the Sea of Azov. The city is east of the Dnipro River in the strategic Southern region of Kherson and close to Crimea.
