Eight months after seizing control of the region, the Kremlin announced that Russian forces would be leaving Kherson in southern Ukraine. This was one of the major U-turns in President Vladimir Putin's military campaign in Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
In a video doing rounds on the internet, a Ukraine flag is seen being hoisted in the Stanyslav region of Kherson. The locals can be seen singing the Ukrainian national anthem, cheering and clapping as one man on a ladder places the flag high on the flag pole.
The 21-second clip was shared on Reddit with the caption, "Locals singing the National Anthem as the Ukrainian Flag is raised in Stanyslav, Kherson oblast." The video has 2,700 likes and 100 per cent upvotes.
Many internet users commented on the heartwarming video. "This will hopefully mean the end of the Oleksandrivka tug-of-war. The residents there probably have been through hell and back as the frontline the last few months," said one user.
Another one added, "I need to drink extra water today. All these new liberation videos have turned on the waterworks. Slava Ukraini! This makes me so happy. I can't imagine joy in the hearts of the people there."
"I am so happy for Kherson today," said a third user.
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Ukrainian officials, on the other hand, continue to be doubtful that Russian soldiers have completely vacated the region.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Office of the President, took to Twitter and said. "Actions speak louder than words. We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight," According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Surovikin said that "Kherson [city] and adjacent settlements in the current conditions cannot be fully supplied and function."
Kherson city was the first urban hub captured by Russia during its "special military operation" and the only regional capital controlled by Moscow's forces since the operation started on February 24.
