Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kherson 'is ours' after Russia's retreat from the region.
It comes after the announcement that Ukrainian forces were entering the city, hailing an "important victory" after Russia said its troops had retreated from the only regional capital it had captured in nearly nine months of fighting
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu approved the withdrawal of troops from Kherson in Ukraine on Wednesday.
In a televised announcement, Shoigu, ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson.
War commander General Sergei Surovikin called it a “very difficult decision”, but the MoD said Russia claimed the withdrawal was due to "re-supply issues".
It added: "Russia's ability to sustain its forces on the west bank of the Dnipro river had been placed under pressure by Ukrainian strikes on Russia's resupply routes.
Russia on Friday said more than 30,000 troops had been withdrawn in the region.
However, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Russian troops have "destroyed multiple bridges and likely laid mines" to delay advancing Ukrainian forces upon their retreat.
A senior Ukrainian official has also warned that Russia is booby-trapping the city of Kherson, accusing them of trying to turn it into a “city of death”.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Zelensky, tweeted that the Russian military “mines everything they can: apartments, sewers” and that “artillery on the left bank” of the Dnipro river “plans to turn the city into ruins.”
He suggested that the Russian forces “came, robbed, celebrated, killed ‘witnesses’, left ruins and left” Kherson city.
He earlier warned that Russia's public declaration of a retreat could be a ruse designed to up Kyiv's forces for a street battle.
Earlier on Friday the Mirror reported that Ukrainians had discovered "cannon fodder" Russian conscript soldiers left behind as they liberate their city of Kherson from invaders.
Months ago it was the site of a fierce fight between Kremlin and Ukrainian forces before the Russians retreated in mid-March.
Russia's move away from Kherson likely means it will send its weapons elsewhere, as Ukraine has issued a stark warning that the staged TV statement is likely a ruse.
The region is of strategic importance because it connects the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea with fresh water.
