Russian troops leave Kherson region west of the Dnipro River, Defense Ministry says - CNN

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN  — 

Russian forces person completed their withdrawal from Ukraine’s Kherson portion westbound of the Dnipro River, including the metropolis of Kherson, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

It comes aft Moscow ordered a partial retreat from the portion Wednesday, marking 1 of the biggest subject setbacks for the Kremlin since the warfare began.

“In the Kherson direction, the determination of Russian subject units to the near slope of the Dnieper River was completed astatine 0500 [Moscow time] this morning,” the ministry said connected its authoritative Telegram channel.

“Not a azygous portion of subject instrumentality oregon weaponry was near down connected the close bank,” the connection said, referring to the occidental broadside of the river. “All Russian servicemen person moved to the near slope of the Dnieper” – the Russian spelling for the river.

A section Ukrainian authoritative successful the portion told CNN Friday that helium could “neither corroborate nor deny” whether Russian forces person withdrawn from Kherson city.

“We’re keeping the ‘information silence’ mode,” said Yuriy Sobolevskyi, archetypal lawman caput of Ukraine’s Kherson determination council. “We bash not remark connected Ukrainian subject question oregon the force subject movement.”

Images and video connected societal media Friday besides showed that the Antonivskyi Bridge, the main conduit implicit the Dnipro successful the Kherson region, had been destroyed.

Alexander Kots, a newsman for the Russian pro-government tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda embedded with Russian forces, posted a video connected his Telegram transmission lasting connected the crossing, showing the full halfway conception of the span destroyed.

“Behind maine are the 2 collapsed spans of (the) bridge,” Kots said. “They were apt blown up during the withdrawal of the Russian radical of forces from the close slope to the left,” oregon occidental slope to eastbound bank.

An representation circulating connected societal media Friday showed a Ukrainian emblem successful the halfway of Kherson, though determination is nary proposition that the Ukrainian subject is yet successful that city.

Sobolevskyi, the Ukrainian official, besides declined to corroborate the veracity of the societal media images of the Ukrainian emblem successful Kherson metropolis center.

“I cannot corroborate that is simply a existent photo,” helium said. “But I tin accidental that it is the Svobody quadrate (freedom square), wherever each the rallies against concern took place. The Resistance question was determination successful Kherson each the time, since concern began. People person shown their patriotic cognition with patriotic graffiti, ribbons, flags etc.”

Ukrainian residents of a municipality connected the occidental outskirts of Kherson metropolis person raised a Ukrainian emblem and ripped down Russian propaganda billboards, according to videos connected societal media geolocated by CNN.

The videos are from the municipality of Bilozerka, astir 10 kilometers (6 miles) westbound of Kherson city.

One video shows a Ukrainian emblem flying implicit a World War II memorial. Another shows residents tearing down a propaganda billboards with a young miss holding a Russian flag, which read: “Russia is present forever.”

Kyiv officials person warned that retreating Russian troops could crook the determination superior of Kherson into a “city of death” connected the mode out.

An authoritative successful confederate Ukraine warned residents Friday to beryllium wary of rapidly returning to precocious liberated territory owed to the menace of mines.

“There are a batch of mines successful the liberated territories and settlements,” Vitaliy Kim, caput of Mykolaiv portion subject administration, said connected Telegram. “Don’t spell determination for nary reason. There are casualties.”

Kherson was 1 of 4 Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Russia successful September.

The apical Kremlin spokesperson connected Friday insisted that the portion remains portion of Russia, contempt the stated volition to partially withdraw.

“This is simply a taxable of the Russian Federation,” Dmitry Peskov said during a regular briefing with journalists. “It has been legally fixed and defined. There tin beryllium nary changes here.”

Russia inactive controls a ample information of the Kherson portion – the country eastbound of the Dnipro River.

When asked straight whether Russia’s retreat was “humiliating” for President Vladimir Putin, Peskov replied: “No.”