It is part of a swift but careful effort by Ukraine to retake the southern port city after the withdrawal of Russian forces that had occupied Kherson since the early days of the war.
There were jubilant scenes across Ukraine after news of the liberation, although one official described the Black Sea city as a “humanitarian disaster”.
Moscow announced early Friday that its forces had withdrawn from Kherson, moving tens of thousands of troops and military equipment to the other side of the Dnieper River.
The retreat is a major blow to Moscow, coming about six weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed four regions of southeastern Ukraine, including where Kherson is located.
It declared the regions part of Russia in a move that violated international law.
Russian officials have argued that the withdrawal does not change Russia’s control over these annexed territories.
The Kherson region has been a flashpoint for Ukrainian and Russian forces, with Kiev’s troops pushing into the area as part of a wider offensive.
Roman Holovnya, a Ukrainian adviser, said the situation in Kherson was “a humanitarian disaster”.
The remaining residents were without water, medicine and food, he said. Basic necessities such as bread were also missing due to power outages.
“The occupiers and collaborators did everything possible to make those people who remained in the city suffer as much as possible during those days, weeks, months of waiting” for Ukrainian forces to arrive, Holovnya said.
“Water reserves are practically non-existent.”
2. No deal to extend grain deal, Russia says
Russia said on Saturday there was no agreement yet on extending the agreement that would allow Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea. Moscow reiterated its demand for unhindered access to world markets for its own food and fertilizer exports. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said talks with UN officials in Geneva on Friday were helpful, but the question of whether the deal could be renewed has yet to be resolved. Brokered by the UN and Turkey, the agreement signed by Kyiv and Moscow in July allows the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, following a Russian blockade. The deal — which is due to expire in a week — has helped reduce pressure on food prices and the risk of hunger in the developing world. Russia’s deputy foreign minister said there could be no progress on renewing the deal until a Russian state bank reconnected to the SWIFT international bank payments system, from which it has been cut off by Western sanctions. 10 million tons of grain and other food have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea agreement, according to the UN. Russia has repeatedly complained that its own grain exports, while not directly targeted by Western sanctions, are effectively blocked because the sanctions have cut off access to finance, insurance and ports. Ukraine and Russia are the world’s major grain exporters. Developments there have a major influence on global food prices.
3. Turkey seeks peace talks despite Western actions: Erdogan
Turkey is committed to pursuing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, according to Turkish media. Erdogan also accused the United States and other Western countries of provoking Moscow. State broadcaster TRT quoted the Turkish leader as saying: “The West, and especially the US, is attacking Russia seemingly endlessly.” He did not specify what he meant by that. “Of course, Russia is showing great resistance in the face of all this,” Erdogan told reporters on a flight from Uzbekistan. Western countries have consistently backed Ukraine against the Russian invasion, providing Kyiv with weapons and financial support and imposing sanctions on Moscow. “We are working on how to create a peace corridor here, like we had the grain corridor. We think the best way for that is a path from dialogue to peace,” Erdogan said, adding that Ukraine’s view would be important. NATO member Turkey has tried to tread a fine line between the warring parties. Turkish arms companies have supplied Ukraine with drones and Erdogan has criticized the invasion in the past. But Turkey did not participate in the Western sanctions. Ankara brokered the deal to lift the embargo on Ukraine’s grain exports four months ago, along with the UN. Erdogan said it “would be a mistake” for Turkey to propose a specific time to extend the deal beyond the November 19 deadline. But he added that it should work “as much as possible”. There have been no recent public attempts to revive peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Talks in Istanbul on a possible ceasefire during the first weeks of the conflict collapsed, with no progress made.
4. EU official urges China to persuade Russia to respect international law
European Council President Charles Michel encouraged China to “use all means” to persuade Russia to respect international law. He made the remarks on Saturday, days before the G20 summit, which will be dominated by discussions surrounding the conflict in Ukraine. “We encourage the Chinese authorities to use all the means at their disposal to persuade Russia to respect the internationally recognized borders, to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine,” the EU leader told AFP. Charles Michel spoke from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he met with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He will then fly to the Indonesian island of Bali to attend the G20 summit, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “It is important at this violent moment in human history that there is international cooperation and the G20 will be another opportunity to look each other in the eye,” he said. “We stand together with countries that don’t have exactly the same political regimes, but at least believe that international law should be protected,” Michel said. Relations between China and the European Union have soured after both sides imposed sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, EU leaders have repeatedly called on Beijing to publicly condemn Russia’s actions, with no success so far.
5. Russian ‘hunger games’ must stop: Ukrainian FM
Ukraine’s foreign minister on Saturday urged Southeast Asian countries to do everything they can to prevent Russia from playing “hunger games” over Ukraine’s grain deal. The deal — which allows food to be exported from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports — is set to expire next week. Little progress has been made so far in securing renewal on the Russian side. Speaking at a press conference in Cambodia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said steps must be taken to ensure Russian inspectors do not deliberately delay shipments, causing global prices to soar. Under the terms of the grain deal, Russia is allowed to inspect ships to ensure they are carrying what they are supposed to be carrying. “It’s not enough just to keep Russia on board,” he said. “It is also important to ensure that Russian inspectors participating in this initiative … act in good faith and that they inspect ships without artificial delays.” Kuleba added that African and Asian countries were suffering from the deadlock. “I call on all ASEAN members to take every possible method to stop Russia from playing hunger games with the world,” he said. Russia’s embargo on Ukrainian grain in the early months of the war sent world food prices soaring, pushing parts of the developing world to the brink of famine. Ukraine joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and a parallel East Asia Summit for the first time. The leaders of the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia are among those who will also attend, as will Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
6. Banksy unveils new work on bombed building in Ukraine
Banksy unveiled one of his new artworks in a damaged building in Ukraine. The British graffiti artist posted images of a stencil work on a bombed-out building in Borodyanka, near Kyiv, on his Instagram account overnight from Friday to Saturday. He confirmed that he was the author. The work of an athlete balancing on a pile of rubble was stenciled on the wall of a mutilated building in Borodyanka, a site located a few kilometers northwest of the Ukrainian capital. It has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian bombing. “Borodianka, Ukraine,” the famous street artist captioned the images on his Instagram account. “It is a symbol of our steadfast resistance,” Oleksi Savochka, a 32-year-old Ukrainian, told AFP. “From the steadfast resistance of our country,” he added. A number of Banksy-style stencil designs have appeared in and around Kyiv recently, suggesting the artist may be working in the area.
