Ukrainian forces have entered the centre of the southern city of Kherson after Russia’s retreat to the west side of the Dnipro River was completed. They were met by jubilant crowds who greeted soldiers as they arrived in the city for the first time since Russia captured it on 2 March. The Ukrainians claimed 41 settlements as they advanced towards the city, the capital of the wider province.
The Ukrainian flag is now being flown outside the regional administration headquarters in Svobody Square, where protests have taken place in recent months. Another flag has been raised at the headquarters of the police in the city.
A Ukrainian defence official told the BBC that its forces were in almost complete control of the city, as searches take place to find any Russian soldiers left behind in the evacuation.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said it was a “historic day” for the country. He said the people of Kherson “never gave up on Ukraine”. “We are returning Kherson. As of now, our defenders are on the approaches to the city. But special units are already in the city.”
More than 30,000 Russian service personnel have been withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The defence ministry said its evacuation had been complete by 5am Moscow time on Friday. The ministry said there was no military hardware or soldiers left on the western side of the river. “The Russian troop units are manoeuvring to a prepared position on the left bank of the Dnipro River in strict accordance with the approved plan,” the Russian defence ministry said.
The Ukrainian ministry of defence has urged Russian soldiers left behind in the hasty evacuation to surrender to Ukrainian forces. Some are believed to still be in Kherson, but wearing civilian clothing to try to avoid detection.
Vladimir Putin’s press spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied the Russian withdrawal from Kherson was humiliating for the Kremlin when he spoke to reporters on Friday morning. Peskov said there were no regrets about the city in southern Ukraine being annexed by Russia at a lavish ceremony in late September. He insisted the city was still part of Russia, Agency France-Presse reports. “This is a subject of the Russian Federation. There are no changes in this and there cannot be changes,” Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine’s defence minister said Russia still had a contingent of 40,000 troops in the Kherson region. “It’s not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, [it will take] one week,” Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters. He added that intelligence showed Russia’s forces remained inside the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, estimated more than half the Russian soldiers that had been stationed on the right bank of the city were still there – a force that had previously been put at 20,000.
Kyiv has said it is wary of rushing in and claiming victory, warning it may be a trap by the Kremlin. Ukraine’s army chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out of the city, but Kyiv’s forces have advanced 36.5km (22.7 miles) and retaken 41 villages and towns since 1 October in the region. That included 12 settlements on Wednesday alone.
The Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro, has been blown up.
Seven people were killed in a Russian missile attack on a five-storey block of flats in Mykolaiv that took place early on Friday morning. Emergency service crews have been working to try to find any survivors.
Russian attacks on electricity facilities are having a disproportionate effect on civilians in Ukraine, having an indiscriminate impact on critical functions such as healthcare and heating, according to the latest evaluation by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Forty-five Ukrainian soldiers have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Russia and the bodies of two killed Ukrainian soldiers have also been repatriated, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office has said.
The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office is investigating three bodies discovered in Kherson province whose deaths it believes may be the result of war crimes.
Ukraine is building a reinforced concrete wall on part of its border with its northern, Putin-supporting neighbour, Belarus.
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said his organisation has started training civilians in Russian regions bordering Ukraine to form a militia and build fortifications.
The United Nations has been holding talks with Russian officials about the agreement to export grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
There were unconfirmed reports of explosions from shelling around the Nova Kakhovka dam late on Thursday. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that the 30-metre-high hydroelectric facility could be targeted by the Russians.
The US’s top general and chair of the joint chiefs of staff estimates that Russia’s military had seen more than 100,000 of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv’s armed forces have “probably” suffered a similar level of casualties. Mark Milley’s remarks offer the highest US estimate of casualties to date.
The UK government has frozen more than £18bn of assets belonging to oligarchs and other Russians under the new sanctions regime. Sanctions have been imposed on 1,271 people – including the former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and the “Nickel King” Vladimir Potanin – Russia’s second richest person – according to a report published on Thursday.
The US will send $400m (£338m) more in military aid to Ukraine, officials announced on Thursday. According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large amounts of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger air defence systems. “This increased air defence will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure,” the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said. The US will also buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, an official added.
