Ukrainian troops met with pleasure in Kherson as Russia abandons its greatest prize

Ukrainian troops have been greeted by joyous residents within the centre of Kherson on Friday after Russia deserted the one regional capital it had captured since its invasion in February.

Russia mentioned it had withdrawn 30,000 troops throughout the Dnipro River with out dropping a single soldier, however Ukrainians painted an image of a chaotic retreat, with Russian troops ditching their uniforms, abandoning weapons and drowning whereas making an attempt to flee.

Video footage verified by Reuters confirmed dozens of Ukrainians cheering and chanting victory slogans in Kherson’s central sq., the place the obvious first Ukrainian troops to reach snapped selfies within the crowd.

Two males lifted a feminine soldier on their shoulders and tossed her into the air. Some residents wrapped themselves in Ukrainian flags. One man was weeping with pleasure.

Ukraine’s defence intelligence company mentioned Kherson was returning to Ukrainian management and ordered any remaining Russian troops to give up to Ukrainian forces coming into town.

Locals had positioned Ukrainian flags within the sq. as information of the top of greater than eight months of occupation filtered out.

“Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to the Nation!” one man shouted in one other video verified by Reuters.

As Ukrainian forces surged ahead throughout one of the vital speedy and humiliating Russian retreats of the conflict, villagers got here out of hiding to explain how Russian troops had killed residents and looted properties.

At the newly recaptured village of Blahodatne reached by Reuters 20 km (12 miles) north of Kherson, Ukrainian troopers have been taking up positions dug by the Russians. At the doorway of the village, Ukrainian troops seemed over a big stockpile of 120 mm mortar shells deserted by the Russians in a dilapidated warehouse.

Serhiy Khlan, a member of Ukraine’s regional council for Kherson, mentioned the regional capital was now virtually absolutely beneath the management of Ukrainian forces.

A lot of Russian troopers had drowned within the river making an attempt to flee and others had turned into civilian clothes, he mentioned, advising residents to not depart their properties whereas searches for remaining Russian troops befell.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian army’s southern command, mentioned “saboteur operations cannot be ruled out” by Russian troops in civilian garments.

Earlier, the Russian defence ministry mentioned it had completed its withdrawal from the western financial institution of the Dnipro river, the place Kherson metropolis lies, simply two days after Moscow introduced the retreat.

“Not a single unit of military equipment or weapons have been left on the right (western) bank. All Russian servicemen crossed to the left bank,” it added, saying that Russia had not suffered any lack of personnel or tools.

Pro-Russian conflict bloggers had reported late on Thursday that Russian forces crossing the river have been coming beneath heavy hearth from Ukrainian forces. The Russian ministry mentioned Ukrainian forces had struck Dnipro River crossings 5 occasions in a single day with U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket methods.

Ukraine’s advance unfolded way more quickly than Ukrainian officers had steered simply hours earlier. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov had advised Reuters on Thursday it will take a minimum of per week for Russia to tug out of Kherson. He estimated Russia nonetheless had 40,000 troops within the area, and mentioned intelligence confirmed its forces remained in and across the metropolis.

“They managed to scarper, the scum,” tweeted Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “There are not many prisoners, mainly losses. But trophies enough.”

‘STEALING EVERYTHING’

There was no signal of Russian forces when Reuters reached Blahodatne. Relieved villagers recounted life beneath occupation, saying about 100 Russians had held the village for eight months. The Russians had withdrawn with out a combat on Wednesday and Ukrainian troops moved in on Thursday, they mentioned.

The Russians had killed a person who had approached too near their trenches and brought away two different males and a younger girl whose destiny remained unknown, the villagers mentioned.

“For the first two months they came in and were extremely aggressive,” mentioned Serhii Kalko, 43, including that Russian troopers fired within the air as they walked down the streets.

The Russian troops had additionally damaged into vacant properties and looted them, eradicating furnishings, televisions, stoves and fridges, the villagers mentioned.

“The Russians were stealing everything. Everything they could take they took,” a lady named Halyna, 50, recounted. “We tried not to be in their sights,” she mentioned, including that solely about 60 of roughly 1,000 residents had remained.

The withdrawal from Kherson is the third main Russian retreat of the conflict, and the primary to contain abandoning such a big occupied metropolis. Moscow’s forces have been pushed in March from the outskirts of the capital Kyiv and ousted from the northeastern area of Kharkiv in September.

Kherson province is one among 4 that Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed from Ukraine in late September. The lack of the regional capital would seem to finish goals expressed by some Russians of seizing Ukraine’s total Black Sea coast, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned the area’s annexed standing remained unchanged.

The solely street route close to Kherson throughout the river, the already broken Antonivskiy bridge, collapsed. Russian army bloggers mentioned it was in all probability blown up as Russian troops withdrew.

The Russian defence ministry mentioned it had adopted “defensive lines and positions” on the jap financial institution of the river, which Moscow hopes it is going to be in a position to higher provide and defend.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned the choice to retreat was taken by the defence ministry. Asked by reporters if it was humiliating for Putin, Peskov mentioned: “No.”