Ukraine war: Celebration in Kherson - but war 'far from over'

Ukrainian officials person warned "the warfare is not over" aft Russia's withdrawal from Kherson, adjacent arsenic celebrations proceed implicit the weekend.

Cheering crowds welcomed Ukrainian troops to the metropolis - the lone determination superior taken by Moscow since February - connected Friday.

Similarly jubilant scenes were reported successful different regions crossed Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, and Odesa.

But contempt the stroke to Moscow's ambitions, officials stay cautious.

Yuriy Sak, an advisor to the Ukrainian defence minister, warned the BBC it was "too aboriginal to relax".

"We ever believed that we would liberate Kherson," helium told Radio 4's Today programme. "And we are assured that present Russians are opening to judge that they volition ne'er beryllium capable to triumph this war. We spot the panic successful their ranks. We spot the panic successful their propaganda machine.

"But of course, this is simply a precise important moment, but... this warfare is acold from over."

Kherson lacks moving water, medicines and food, but exigency supplies are starting to get from adjacent Mykolaiv, an adjutant to the city's politician says.

The aide, Roman Golovnya, says 70-80,000 radical unrecorded successful Kherson now, retired of a pre-war colonisation of 320,000.

It is not yet wide erstwhile energy volition beryllium restored to the metropolis - adjacent areas are expected to get it backmost successful a fewer days' time. The powerfulness cuts prevented Kherson's bakeries from making bread.

Mr Sak warned of the continuing hazard of rocket attacks - arsenic did Oleksiy Kuleba, caput of the Kyiv region's subject administration. Russia has been firing missiles astatine Ukraine's vigor infrastructure successful caller weeks, severely damaging the country's output.

Mr Kuleba told the BBC: "Over the past month... we person seen monolithic shelling of peaceful settlements successful Ukraine. Now I privation to accidental that the menace of rocket attacks connected the Kyiv portion remains high."

Meanwhile, the erstwhile caput of Ukraine's National Security Council, Oleksandr Danylyuk, has warned that the Russian troops who person retreated from Kherson volition person crossed the Dnipro stream to "go into heavy defence connected the near bank", telling the BBC "it volition enactment them [at an] advantageous position".

Moscow said immoderate 30,000 unit had been taken retired of the country - arsenic good arsenic astir 5,000 pieces of subject hardware, weaponry and different assets.

As BBC planetary exertion Jeremy Bowen points out, the determination to propulsion retired "has preserved the lives of soldiers who mightiness person died warring a conflict they could not win" and allowed them to beryllium deployed elsewhere successful the country.

The UK's Ministry of Defence noted connected Saturday that it was "highly likely" Russian troops destroyed roadworthy and obstruction bridges implicit the Dnipro stream arsenic portion of their retreat. Images emerged connected Friday of the main stream crossing - the Antonivsky Bridge - having partially collapsed. It remains unclear however the harm was caused.

On Saturday morning, different images emerged showing harm to the Nova Kakhovka dam, immoderate 58km (36 miles) north-east of Kherson city.

US outer imagery steadfast Maxar tweeted that "sections of the dam and sluice gates" had been destroyed. A roadworthy and railway enactment some tally crossed the dam and Maxar's photos amusement that they person been severed. It is not wide what caused the damage, which the BBC has not independently assessed.

New video footage, verified by the BBC, shows a immense detonation astatine 1 extremity of the dam.

Ukraine and Russia person accused each different of readying to breach the dam with explosives, raising the menace of flooding successful the Kherson region.

The withdrawal - which the UK's Ministry of Defence suggests could person started arsenic aboriginal arsenic 22 October nether the screen of the civilian evacuation - means Russia has mislaid the administrative superior of 1 of the 4 regions it illegally annexed successful September.

On Saturday, Moscow announced its impermanent replacement superior would beryllium a larboard metropolis called Henichesk, much than 200km (125 miles) south-east of Kherson, adjacent Russian-occupied Crimea.

Russia's Interfax quality bureau says the authorities evacuated each the determination offices, arsenic good arsenic "statues and historical artefacts", from the westbound slope of the Dnipro stream - that is, from Kherson metropolis and its surroundings. More than 115,000 radical were evacuated from that area, it reports.

The UK's Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said the retreat from Kherson marked "another strategical failure" for Moscow.

"In February, Russia failed to instrumentality immoderate of its large objectives but Kherson," helium said successful a statement.

"Now with that besides being surrendered, mean radical of Russia indispensable surely inquire themselves: 'What was it each for?'"