In the center of Kherson, the Ukrainian flag is flying again. This is after Russia announced the complete withdrawal of its soldiers from this city, which it occupied first in the war that started on February 24 of this year. "No weapon or piece of military equipment was left behind. All Russian soldiers have moved to the left bank of the Dnieper River," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
After leaving, the Russian forces partially destroyed the Antonovsky Bridge, which is considered of great importance in the battle. Despite the withdrawal, the Kremlin does not give up its claim that the entire Kherson region continues to remain part of the Federation.
"Kherson is part of the Russian Federation, this is legally determined. There are and will be no changes," said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman.
He added that Russia has not been embarrassed by the withdrawal, which is being read by Western leaders as another battlefield defeat for Putin. Peskov also spoke about the possibilities for this war to end.
"The special operation in Ukraine can be concluded after all objectives have been met. Or it could end with peace talks. But negotiations are currently not possible due to Ukraine's position".
This was a response to the statement of the American president, Joe Biden, according to which the war in Ukraine will not end until Vladimir Putin's army completely leaves the territory of the neighboring country. As such, Russia continues to suffer further defeats on the ground, with President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming that over 40 different areas have been retaken from the invaders. In one of them, in Mykolaiv, the Moscow army responded to the defeat by launching airstrikes in residential areas, where 6 people were killed and several others were injured.