People celebrate after Russia's retreat from Kherson, in central Kyiv, Ukraine

People celebrate after Russia's retreat from Kherson, in central Kyiv, Ukraine

People celebrate after Russia's retreat from Kherson, in central Kyiv, Ukraine November 11, 2022.

Ukrainian forces have entered the city of Kherson as Russian forces retreat in haste. Villagers came out of hiding to welcome the Ukrainian troops and recounted horror stories of Russian soldiers killing civilians and looting homes.

According to Serhiy Khlan, a deputy for the Kherson Regional Council, the city was almost fully under the control of Ukrainian forces. Multiple videos circulating on social media show Ukrainian soldiers planting yellow-and-blue flags in the city while local residents celebrated.

Russia said Friday it finished pulling out its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, claiming that no soldiers or equipment had been left behind. Videos of retreating Russian soldiers, however, paint a different picture. One of the Russian soldiers describes how he and his fellow soldiers were asked to hastily change into civilian clothing so they would not be detected. Also, some of the retreating soldiers reportedly drowned in the river while trying to escape.

For those Russian troops who did not make it out of the city, "the only chance to avoid death is to immediately surrender," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate said.

Ukrainian forces have recaptured more than 40 towns in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as Russia announced it was pulling its troops from Kherson.

"The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place in the framework of the ongoing defense operation is already dozens, 41 settlements were liberated," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Source:

https://www.voanews.com/a/ukrainian-forces-enter-kherson-as-russian-troops-withdraw/6830832.html