The russian forces have completed their withdrawal to the left bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson province, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense, and it was immediately learned that, after almost eight months of absence, the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine waved again in the city.
The operation occurs two days after the operation was announced and has been confirmed by Ukrainian officials, who, according to APhad begun the actions to liberate the city.
#LAST MINUTE Ukrainian Officials Say Operation To Liberate Kherson City Following Russian Withdrawal Has Begun; general jubilation
— AP News (@AP_Noticias) November 11, 2022
media like the BBC They add that the two-color banner was placed on the building of the Administration of the homonymous region by the partisan militiamen to receive the first troops from kyiv, which entered the city this Friday.
More than 30,000 Russian soldiers and about 5,000 artillery pieces and units of war material crossed the Dnieper to the left bank, ministerial spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported, quoted by RT.
The spokesperson added that all the machinery that needed to be repaired has also been moved to the east side. “There have been no losses of personnel, weapons, equipment or war material from the Russian troop group. All civilians who wanted to leave the right bank part of the Kherson region were assisted in their evacuation,” the Ministry stated.
Kherson is the only relevant city occupied by Russia almost since the beginning of the war and this Wednesday it announced that it would begin the withdrawal, since the counteroffensive launched by Ukraine in the summer made it impossible to ensure the continuity of its supply lines.
The decision represents a significant blow to the Russian army, which at the beginning of its “Special Operation” had to desist from its attempts to take kyiv and already lost Kharkiv in the summer, analysts point out.
With information from Ap, RT and BBCMundo.
