Olha Pylypivna, a resident of Kherson, said she could not “find the words” to describe her relief after the move by Ukrainian special forces on Friday. Crowds chanted “glory to our heroes” and “glory to Ukraine” as soldiers mingled with smiling civilians. “I want to cry. There were constant explosions, but now it’s so quiet… Everyone felt so strange, so scared by the silence. But you know, hearing that silence is so good,” she told Al Jazeera. In the strategic port city on the Black Sea, the Ukrainian national anthem rang out in Kherson’s main square as a small crowd sang while gathered around a fire, according to video posted on social media by Ukraine’s parliament. “Russia is here forever,” read a poster in Bilozherka near Kherson. Actually, not exactly! To everyone in the world, including ASEAN where I am right now: Ukraine wins another major victory right now and proves that whatever Russia says or does, Ukraine will win. pic.twitter.com/8bc4JGNajX — Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) November 11, 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Kherson “ours” after Russia withdrew its troops from the city on the east bank of the Dnieper River. “Special units are already in the city,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, posting footage of Ukrainian troops gathering with residents. In the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, the news was received with joy. Wrapped in flags, popping champagne corks and singing the Ukrainian national anthem, Kherson residents living in Kyiv gathered in the city’s Maidan Square to celebrate. “I didn’t believe it at first, I thought it would take weeks and months, a few hundred meters at a time. And now we see them arriving in Kherson in one day, it’s the best surprise,” said Artem Lukiv, 41. Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, writing from the Kherson region, said Moscow’s withdrawal was the “most decisive” event in this war so far. “It boosted the morale of Ukrainian soldiers who say … now they believe they can win this war.”
“Life is coming back”
The key Antonovsky Bridge over the Dnieper River appeared to have been destroyed during the Russian retreat, with both sides blaming each other. “Our troops hit Russian forces during their withdrawal from the city when they were trying to escape using ferries in the area of the Antonovsky Bridge,” said Serhiy Khellan, a deputy in the Kherson Regional Council. “The shelling caused the destruction of many vehicles and personnel, and they also left many vehicles behind.” Russia said all its soldiers and military equipment left the city safely and intact. Zelensky said Russian soldiers had laid mines in the city and the troops would be followed by swordsmen, rescuers and energy personnel. Despite the daunting tasks ahead, “medicine, communications, social services are coming back… Life is coming back,” he said.
“Strategic Failure”
The United States hailed Ukraine’s “remarkable victory” in recapturing Kherson from the Russians on Saturday. “This is a great moment, and it is due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the relentless and united support of the United States and our allies,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said while traveling to Cambodia with President Joe Biden for regional summit. Meanwhile, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Moscow had suffered a “strategic failure” in Kherson. “Russia’s announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them. In February, Russia failed to achieve any of its primary objectives except Kherson,” Wallace said in a statement. “Now with the tradition and this, the common people of Russia must surely ask themselves: ‘what was it all for?’ Ukrainian soldiers drive a Russian armored personnel carrier in the village of Blahodatne in the Kherson region [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]
Another Russian “issue”
Although it appears to be a major Russian setback, the Kremlin insisted that Kherson was still part of Russia and did not regret annexing the entire Kherson region. Ukraine’s full recapture of the Kherson region would cut off a vital land bridge for Russia between its mainland and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. US General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US forces in Europe, described the Russian retreat as a “colossal failure”. He said he expected Ukrainian commanders to continue to press Russia’s depleted forces ahead of a possible future push for Crimea next year. “It’s too early to plan the victory parade, for sure. But I would wait until the end of this year – so the next, say, eight weeks – the Ukrainians will be able to start setting the conditions for the decisive phase of this campaign, which is the liberation of Crimea, which I believe that it will be done by the summer”. Baig noted that Russian forces still control a “significant amount of territory” and have the ability to strike targets in Kherson and elsewhere in Ukraine. “Some Ukrainians are afraid to return to their towns and villages because of the destruction and the mines that may have been left behind. This also shows that the war is far from over,” he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that Kyiv continues to see “Russia mobilizing more conscripts and bringing more weapons to Ukraine. I understand that everyone wants this war to end as soon as possible. We’re definitely the ones who want it more than anyone else.” “Morale in Ukraine is very high. Our army will continue to liberate our territory because we are waging a defensive war against an enemy who has invaded our country. I have no doubt about the final outcome of this war. Ukraine will prevail – it’s only a matter of time and honor.”
