Ukraine war: ‘beginning of the end’ says Zelensky

Kherson, Ukraine –

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday hailed Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson as “the beginning of the end of the war”, praising soldiers and taking selfies in the recently liberated southern city.

The recapture of Kherson after a violent offensive that forced Russian troops to withdraw from the city was one of Ukraine’s greatest successes so far in the nearly nine-month invasion and dealt a crushing blow to the Kremlin. rice field.

Zelensky walked the streets of the city on Monday, just hours after giving a nightly video address warning of the booby traps and landmines the Russians had left in the city before their withdrawal.

Zelensky has previously appeared unexpectedly in other front-line zones at key times in the war to assist troops and congratulate them for their achievements on the battlefield.

In Kherson, I handed out medals to Ukrainian soldiers in the central square and took a selfie with them.

Video footage also showed him waving at a resident who waved at him from an apartment window and shouted “Glory to Ukraine!” “Glory to the heroes!” was the reply. I returned from Zelensky’s group, which consisted of soldiers and others.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday declined to comment on Zelensky’s visit to Kherson, saying only, “You know it’s the territory of the Russian Federation.”

The liberation of Kherson after a stabbing attack that forced Russian troops to withdraw from the city was one of Ukraine’s biggest successes so far in the nearly nine-month-long invasion and was a stabbing blow to the Kremlin. did.

Since the Russian withdrawal, Ukrainian officials say they have found evidence of torture and other atrocities.

In his nightly video address on Sunday, Zelensky said without further details, “Investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes, and bodies of both civilians and military personnel have been found.”

“In the Kherson region, the Russian army committed the same atrocities as in the rest of our country,” he said. “We will find and bring all the killers to justice. There is no doubt.”

The end of the eight-month Russian occupation of the city of Kherson sparked celebrations but also exposed a humanitarian emergency, with residents living without electricity, water, food and medicine. . Russia controls about 70% of the entire Kherson region.

Zelensky said Russian soldiers left behind when military commanders abandoned the city last week are being detained. .

Ukrainian police have called on residents to help identify those who cooperated with the Russian military.

Zelensky urged people in the liberated areas to be vigilant against booby traps as well, saying: “Remember that the situation in the Kherson region is still very dangerous. First of all, there are mines. Clearing mines. killed and four others injured.”

And he promised that essential services would be restored.

“We are doing everything to restore normal technical capacity for electricity and water supplies as soon as possible,” he said. “Bring back transport and mail. Let’s bring back ambulances and regular medicine. Of course, the restoration of work for the authorities, the police and some private companies has already begun.”

Residents said departing Russian troops hauled out booty and looted the city when they withdrew last week. They also destroyed vital infrastructure before crossing the wide Dnieper and withdrawing to the east bank.

One Ukrainian official described the situation in Kherson as a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

Reconnecting the electricity supply is a priority and gas supplies have already been secured, said Kherson Regional Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich.

The Russian withdrawal marked a victorious milestone in Ukraine’s resistance to Moscow’s invasion nearly nine months ago. Over the past two months, Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured dozens of towns and villages north of Kherson.

Ukraine’s liberation of Kherson was the latest in a series of battlefield embarrassments for the Kremlin. It comes about six weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in violation of international law, annexed the Kherson region and three other provinces in southern and eastern Ukraine and declared them Russian territory.

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John Lester of Kyiv and Hanna Ahirova of Odessa contributed to this report.