Residents of Kherson celebrated for the third straight day Sunday, even as they took stock of the extensive damage left behind in the southern Ukrainian city by the Kremlin害羞草研究所檚 retreating forces.
A jubilant crowd gathered in Kherson害羞草研究所檚 main square, despite the distant thumps of artillery fire that could be heard as Ukrainian forces pressed on with their effort to push out Moscow害羞草研究所檚 invasion force.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a new year for us now,害羞草研究所� said Karina Zaikina, 24, who wore on her coat a yellow-and-blue ribbon in Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 national colors. 害羞草研究所淔or the first time in many months, I wasn害羞草研究所檛 scared to come into the city.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淔inally, freedom!害羞草研究所� said 61-year-old resident Tetiana Hitina. 害羞草研究所淭he city was dead.害羞草研究所�
But even as locals rejoiced, the evidence of Russia害羞草研究所檚 ruthless occupation was all around, and Russian forces still control some 70% of the wider Kherson region.
With cellphone networks knocked out, Zaikina and others lined up to use a satellite phone connection set up for everyone害羞草研究所檚 use in the square, enabling them to swap news with family and friends for the first time in weeks.
Downtown stores were shuttered. With many people having fled the city during the Russian occupation, the city streets were thinly populated. Many of the few people venturing out Sunday carried yellow and blue flags. On the square, people lined up to ask soldiers to autograph their flags and rewarded them with hugs. Some wept.
More bleakly, Kherson is also without electricity or running water, and food and medical supplies are short. Residents said Russian troops plundered the city, carting away loot as they withdrew last week. They also wrecked key public infrastructure before retreating across the wide Dnieper River to its east bank. One Ukrainian official described the situation in Kherson as 害羞草研究所渁 humanitarian catastrophe.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 understand what kind of people this is. I don害羞草研究所檛 know why they did it,害羞草研究所� said resident Yevhen Teliezhenko, draped in a Ukrainian flag.
Still, he said, 害羞草研究所渋t became easier to breathe害羞草研究所� once the Russians had gone.
害羞草研究所淭here is no better holiday than what害羞草研究所檚 happening now,害羞草研究所� he declared.
Ukrainian authorities said the demining of critical infrastructure is under way in the city. Reconnecting the electricity supply is the priority, with gas supplies already assured, Kherson regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said.
The Russian pullout marked a triumphant milestone in Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 pushback against Moscow害羞草研究所檚 invasion almost nine months ago. In the past two months, Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 military claimed to have retaken dozens of towns and villages north of the city of Kherson.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to keep up the pressure on Russian forces, reassuring the people in Ukrainian cities and villages that are still under occupation.
害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 forget anyone; we won害羞草研究所檛 leave anyone,害羞草研究所� he said.
Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 retaking of Kherson was a significant setback for the Kremlin and the latest in a series of battlefield embarrassments. It came some six weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed the Kherson region and three other provinces in southern and eastern Ukraine 害羞草研究所� in breach of international law 害羞草研究所� and declared them Russian territory.
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv tweeted comments Sunday by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who described the turnaround in Kherson as 害羞草研究所渁n extraordinary victory害羞草研究所� for Ukraine and 害羞草研究所渜uite a remarkable thing.害羞草研究所�
The reversal came despite Putin害羞草研究所檚 recent partial mobilization of reservists, raising troop numbers by some 300,000. That has been hard for the Russian military to digest.
害羞草研究所淩ussian military leadership is trying and largely failing to integrate combat forces drawn from many different organizations and of many different types and levels of skill and equipment into a more cohesive fighting force in Ukraine,害羞草研究所� commented the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, a think tank that tracks the conflict
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the Kremlin will be 害羞草研究所渨orried害羞草研究所� by the loss of Kherson but warned against underestimating Moscow. 害羞草研究所淚f they need more cannon fodder, that is what they害羞草研究所檒l be doing,害羞草研究所� he said.
Ukrainian police called on residents to help identify collaborators with Russian forces. Ukrainian police officers returned to the city Saturday, along with public broadcasting services. The national police chief of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, said about 200 officers were at work in the city, setting up checkpoints and documenting evidence of possible war crimes.
In what could perhaps be the next district to fall in Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 march on territory annexed by Moscow, the Russian-appointed administration of the Kakhovka district, east of the city of Kherson, announced Saturday it was evacuating its employees.
害羞草研究所淭oday, the administration is the No. 1 target for Ukrainian attacks,害羞草研究所� said the Moscow-installed leader of Kakhovka, Pavel Filipchuk. 害羞草研究所淲e, as an authority, are moving to a safer territory, from where we will lead the district.害羞草研究所�
Kakhovka is located on the east bank of the Dnieper River, upstream of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
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John Leicester contributed to this story from Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Follow AP害羞草研究所檚 coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Hanna Arhirova, The Associated Press
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