Late last week, Russia pulled back over 30,000 troops in the Kherson region of Ukraine, retreating south of the Dnieper River. And last weekend, Ukrainian forces retook the city of Kherson.
The Atlantic magazine published 20 photos capturing the celebrations, showing crowds of jubilant residents kissing soldiers, handing out flowers, and, of course, waving lots of Ukrainian flags.
Photos: Celebrations as Ukraine Retakes Kherson – The Atlantic
Russia’s ignominious defeat marked a significant milestone in Ukraine’s pushback against Moscow’s invasion.
In his nightly video address last Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that the country would see “many more such greetings” as his forces liberate other cities and villages still under Russian occupation.
Zelensky assured the people that no one would be forgotten or left behind. Sunday, the US Embassy in Kyiv tweeted a statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who called the liberation of Kherson “an extraordinary victory” and “quite a remarkable thing.”
The Russian retreat from Kherson comes just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, raising the troop numbers in Ukraine by about 300,000.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said while the Kremlin will be worried about the loss of Kherson, Moscow should not be underestimated. Wallace said if the Russians need “more cannon fodder, that is what they’ll be doing.”
During their drive from Mykolaiv to Kherson, reporters from the Associated Press reported seeing downed electrical lines, spent projectile casings, and several destroyed tanks lining the road.
Now the task of clearing out explosive devices and restoring the city’s public services will begin. One Ukrainian official called the situation in Kherson “a humanitarian catastrophe,” with residents lacking water, food, and medicine.
The retaking of Kherson is just the latest in a series of battlefield embarrassments for Moscow, where, just six weeks before, President Putin officially annexed the Kherson region along with three other provinces in southern and eastern Ukraine.
