Residents took to the streets of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to celebrate Russia’s withdrawal, one of the most important military achievements by Kyiv’s forces since Moscow invaded nearly nine months ago.
Olha Pylypivna, a resident of Kherson, said she could not “find the words” to describe her relief after Ukraine’s special forces moved in on Friday. Crowds chanted “glory to our heroes” and “glory to Ukraine” as soldiers mixed with smiling civilians.
“I want to cry. There were constant explosions but now it’s so quiet … Everyone felt so strange, so scared by the silence. But you know, hearing this silence is so good,” she told Al Jazeera.
In the strategic port city located on the Black Sea, the Ukrainian national anthem rang out in the central Kherson square as a small crowd sang along while huddled around a bonfire, a video published by Ukraine’s parliament on social media showed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Kherson “ours” after Russia withdrew troops from the city to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River.
Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from the Kherson region, said Moscow’s withdrawal was the “most decisive” event in this war so far.
“It’s boosted the morale of Ukrainian soldiers who say … they now believe they can win this war.”
The key Antonovsky Bridge over the Dnieper River appeared to be damaged during the Russian retreat, with both sides blaming each other.
“Our troops hit the Russian forces during their withdrawal from the city when they were trying to escape using ferries in the area of Antonovsky Bridge,” said Serhiy Khellan, a deputy in the Kherson Regional Council.
“The bombing caused the destruction of many vehicles and personnel, and they also left a number of vehicles behind.”
Russia said all its soldiers and military equipment left the city safely and intact.
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