Kherson residents have been celebrating in the streets after Russian troops retreated from their city.
Locals told CNN they “felt free” and it was “amazing” to see their hometown liberated after months under Russian control.
Ukrainians across the country have also been celebrating after Russian troops left the only regional capital they had captured in the eight months of the invasion of Ukraine.
The UK defence secretary said the retreat was “another strategic failure” for Vladimir Putin, while the defence ministry said it brought “significant reputational damage”.
The withdrawal marked the third major Russian retreat in the war and the first to involve yielding such a large occupied city in the face of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive that has retaken parts of the east and south.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said Friday, when the retreat was completed, was “a historic day”. He said: “We are getting the south of the country back, we are getting Kherson back.”
