Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said Friday that it is a «historic» day after Ukrainian troops entered Kherson following the flag-raising on the main square of the town.
«We are returning to Kherson. From now on our defenders will be on the outskirts of the town. There is still very little left and we are starting to move in. But special units are already in the city,» he said, as reported by the state-run UNIAN news agency.
Zelensky stressed in a speech to the camera that although the city «has not yet been completely cleansed», the population «is already removing Russian symbols and any traces of the occupation from the streets and buildings».
The Ukrainian leader also noted that, after the entry of Ukrainian troops into the city, «stabilization measures will begin in Kherson», as already happened in other «liberated» parts of Ukraine, the state news agency Ukrinform reported.
«Now, when demining has not even begun, we cannot guarantee media access to Kherson. It is necessary to demining,» he said, adding that the Russians have left many of these devices on the ground.
«But we are not reducing our attention to other areas. We are moving everywhere, strengthening our positions everywhere. We maintain the boundaries in the Donetsk region,» the Ukrainian leader said.
ON THE RIGHT MARGIN OF THE Dnieper For their part, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have reported that some outposts of their troops have already reached the right bank of the Dnieper River. «Due to the safety of the operation, the official publication of the results will be provided at a later date,» the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has indicated.
Also, the Russian troops would be, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, trying to improve «the fortification equipment of the defensive lines on the left bank of the Dnieper and in the north of the temporarily occupied Crimea.»
For its part, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Kherson is «under Ukrainian control.» «The routes of retreat of the Russian invaders are under the fire control of the Ukrainian Army,» it has added.
The Ukrainian Army has finally entered Kherson following the flag-raising in the town’s main square, an act that came after Russian forces announced their withdrawal in a decision applauded by Kiev.
The flag is located in Freedom Square, where the main government offices are located. The population, who have taken to the streets with Ukrainian flags, have come to the area to celebrate the hoisting and take photographs.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the beginning of bombardments on the areas of Kherson recently vacated by the Army, on the western bank of the Dnieper river, in a series of attacks confirmed also by the Ukrainian security forces, which have reported at least three possible deaths in these operations.
