Ukrainian forces enter Kherson city following ‘complete evacuation’ by Russian military

The Ukrainian military made headway into the Kherson region as they entered Kherson City on Friday following the evacuation bythe Russian forces. It was a significant step forward for Ukraine as Kherson was one of the regions that were annexed by Russia following a series of referendums termed sham by Ukraine and the West. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed the Ukrainian forces were welcomed by the residents in Kherson city’s Shumenskyi district as Russia confirmed total evacuation of their army.

The Russian defence ministry officially confirmed that the forces completely evacuated the region west of the Dnipro River in what they called a “strategic decision” taken by the Kremlin.

“In the Kherson direction, the move of Russian military units to the left bank of the Dnieper River was completed at 0500 [Moscow time] this morning,” the ministry said on Telegram.

“Not a single piece of military equipment or weaponry was left behind on the right bank. All Russian servicemen have moved to the left bank of the Dnieper” – the Russian spelling for the river.”

The Ukrainian government previously expressed their fear that Russian forces can create a lot of damage while retreating from their position in Kherson.

The fears were somewhat confirmed once again as videos showed that the Antonivskyi Bridge on the Dnipro River was damaged following the evacuation.

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“Behind me are the two collapsed spans of (the) bridge,” Alexander Kots, a reporter for the Russian pro-government tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, posted on social media according to Reuters.

“They were likely blown up during the withdrawal of the Russian group of forces from the right bank to the left,” or western bank to eastern bank,” he added in the video posted on Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)