Ukrainian officials have warned that “the war is not over” after Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, even as celebrations continue over the weekend.
On Friday, cheering crowds welcomed Ukrainian troops into the city – the only regional capital Moscow had taken since February.
Similarly, scenes of jubilation were reported in other regions of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv and Odessa.
But despite the blow to Moscow’s ambitions, officials remain cautious.
Yuri Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, warned JEE News it was “too early to relax”.
“We always believed we would liberate Kherson,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme. “And we believe that now the Russians are beginning to believe that they will never win this war. We see panic in their ranks, we see panic in their propaganda machine.
“But of course this is a very important moment, but this war is not over yet.”
An aide to the city’s mayor says Kherson lacks running water, medicine and food, but emergency supplies have started arriving from nearby Makolaiv.
70-80,000 people currently live in Kherson out of a pre-war population of 320,000, says assistant Roman Golonia.
“Before escaping from Kherson, the occupiers destroyed all important infrastructure – communications, water supply, heat, electricity,” said President Vladimir Zelensky.
It is not yet clear when power will be restored in the city – surrounding areas are expected to have power restored in a few days. Power outages prevented Kherson’s bakeries from making bread.
Mr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces had begun the massive task of clearing Russian mines and booby traps in and around Kherson.
