Videos and photos on social media showed residents praising soldiers, waving Ukrainian flags and chanting in celebration.
Jubilant residents have welcomed Ukrainian troops arriving in the centre of Kherson after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since its invasion began in February.
The withdrawal marked the third major Russian retreat of the war and the first to involve yielding such a large occupied city in the face of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive that has retaken parts of the east and south.Video footage verified by Reuters showed dozens of people cheering and chanting victory slogans in Kherson city’s central square, where the apparent first Ukrainian troops to arrive snapped selfies in the throng.
Zelensky said measures to make Kherson safe – in particular, removing what he called a large number of landmines – would start as soon as possible. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts and Russia’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about allegations made by residents of the recaptured village of Blahodatne, 20 kilometres north of Kherson.
Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had finished its withdrawal from the western bank of the Dnipro river, where Kherson city lies,No military equipment or weapons had been left on the western bank, the ministry said. All servicemen crossed to the eastern bank, it said.
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