Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, flanked by soldiers, sang the national anthem in central Kherson Monday as a Ukrainian flag was raised over the city — the only regional capital that had fallen to Russia since February's invasion.
Why it matters: The Russian surrender of Kherson is the culmination of a four-month Ukrainian counteroffensive, and a major blow to Russian President Putin, who just weeks earlier had declared Kherson an integral part of Russia "forever." Kherson's liberation comes as winter sets in and officials in Kyiv, Moscow and Washington prepare for the next phase of the war.
