The strategically located city has become the first major urban centre to be in Russian hands.
The city of Kherson, strategically located in southern Ukraine at the mouth of the Dneiper River’s exit into the Black Sea, is the first significant urban centre to fall since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Late on Wednesday, Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhayev said Russian troops were in the streets and had forced their way into the city council building. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 ‘Her name was Katia’: Husband mourns wife killed in Zhytomyr hit list 2 of 4 Photos: Shelling continues in Ukraine as Russian forces advance list 3 of 4 How realistic is Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threat? list 4 of 4 UAE stance on Ukraine war reflects ‘strong alliance’ with Russia end of list
Taking control of the city is a significant victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin after a string of military setbacks. Home to about 300,000 people, Kherson is by far the largest town and first regional capital to be in Russian hands.
“This is a defeat [for the Ukrainian army],” said Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Lviv, in western Ukraine, calling it “a big marker point in this conflict”.
“Tanks are rolling to and from the central area, the Russian] troops are in foot patrols,” he added, describing Kherson as a city with “a lot of resources and fighters”.
“It was a bloody battle to the end.”
Hanna Shelest, director of security programmes at the Ukrainian Prism think-tank, told Al Jazeera that Russian forces now had access to the mainland from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
“[It’s a significant advance] also because nearby Kherson, you have access to freshwater that supplies Crimea,” Shelest said.
Ukraine had cut off freshwater supply along a canal that had supplied 85 percent of the peninsula’s needs after the annexation.
Some analysts believe one of the Russian army’s goals in southeastern Ukraine is to establish a “land corridor” linking the two breakaway regions held by pro-Russian rebels with Crimea.
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