The Ukrainian leader said that after months of Russian occupation and “mockery of our people”, there is a “sea of Ukrainian flags on the streets”.
“The world sees it now. They see what it means when Ukrainians meet their own people. They see what Ukrainian unity means. And they see why we must liberate our entire land from invaders,” he said in his nightly speech.
Mr Zelenskyy continued: “We will see many more such greetings. In those towns and villages which are still under occupation. We forget no one, we will leave no one.
Image: Ukrainian troops are welcomed back to Kherson
“Thanks to our defense operations and diplomacy, we will definitely reach our state borders – all parts of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.”
He said Ukrainian troops were in control of more than 60 settlements in the Kherson region.
“Police have started stabilization measures. Stabilization measures are also underway in Kherson,” he said, noting that nearly 2,000 unexploded mines, wires and shells have been dealt with so far.
He said Putin’s forces destroyed critical infrastructure in Kherson before fleeing, adding that local authorities had begun to stabilize the city.
But he said the Russians were fighting a much tougher battle elsewhere, describing the fighting in the eastern Donetsk region as hellish.
“(The Russians) everywhere have the same goal: to humiliate people as much as possible. But we will restore everything, believe me,” he continued.
Jubilant residents welcomed troops who arrived in the center of the strategic city of Kherson on Friday after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had seized since the start of the war.
“Celebration Scene”
Sky’s international correspondent Alex Rossi and his team were among the first foreign journalists to reach the center after the city was taken over.
He said the city was a “scene of celebration” and that everyone in uniform had received a “hero’s welcome”.
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5:11 “Liberation was the moment to live”
The Ukrainian military said it was overseeing “stabilization measures” in areas around the city to ensure its security.
Ihor Klymenko, the head of Ukraine’s national police, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that about 200 officers were working in the city, setting up checkpoints and documenting evidence of possible war crimes.
Police teams were also working to locate and defuse unexploded devices.
Image: Ukrainians waving flags in downtown Kherson
Ukraine’s communications watchdog said national television and radio broadcasts had resumed in the city, and an adviser to Kherson’s mayor said humanitarian aid and supplies had begun arriving from the neighboring Mykolaiv region.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, the councilor, Roman Holovnya, described the situation in the city as a “humanitarian disaster”.
On Friday, Ukraine’s president praised the resilience of his people and warned Russian soldiers who were left behind in the Kherson region.
Moscow still sees Kherson as part of Russia
Moscow’s forces still control about 70 percent of the Kherson region, and the Kremlin insisted that the withdrawal from the city of Kherson was not an embarrassment to President Vladimir Putin.
Image: The inhabitants of Chersona celebrate the recapture of the city
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow continues to see the region as part of Russia.
There are fears that the departing Russians will now seek to turn Kherson into a ‘city of death’, continuing to shell it from their new base across the river – or that they could regroup before launching an attempt to retake the city .
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s intelligence service said on Friday it believed some Russian soldiers stayed behind in Kherson, ditching their uniforms for civilian clothes to avoid detection.
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With most of the focus on southern Ukraine, Russian forces continued their offensive in industrial eastern Ukraine, targeting the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said two civilians were killed and four wounded on Saturday as fighting intensified around Bakhmut and Avdiivka, a small town that remained in Ukrainian hands throughout the war.
