The head of the regional administration called the inhabitants to stay at home, indicating that “the occupants are in all neighborhoods of the city and are very dangerous”.
Le Monde with AFP
Ukrainian officials confirmed in the night of Wednesday 2 to Thursday, March 3rd the presence of the Russian army in Kherson, a large city in the southern country that Moscow has announced that they captured in the morning after fierce fighting. This is the largest city caught by the Russian forces since the beginning of the invasion seven days ago.
The head of the regional administration, Guennadi Lakhouta, called on Telegram the inhabitants to stay at home, indicating that “occupants are in all neighborhoods of the city and are very dangerous”.
The mayor of this city of 290 000 inhabitants, Igor Kolykhaïev, announced to him having discussed with “armed guests” in a building of the Kherson administration, underlying, without appointing them, Russian troops. “We did not have weapons and were not aggressive. We showed that we are working to secure the city and try to adhere to the consequences of the invasion,” he said in a message on Facebook.
“So far everything goes well”
“We encounter enormous difficulties with the collection and burial of the dead, the delivery of food and medicine, garbage collection, accident management, etc.,” he continued.
He assured to have “made no promise” to the Russians and “simply asked not to shoot people”, also announcing a night curfew in the city and a restriction of motor traffic. “So far everything goes well. The flag that floats above us is Ukrainian. And for that to stay like that, these requirements must be respected,” he added.
The Russian army had announced in the morning of Wednesday to have seized Kherson, located not far from the Crimean Peninsula attached in 2014 by Moscow. This port city and its periphery suffered intense bombing.
The Russian army has already seized another key port of Ukraine, that of Berdiansk, and currently attacks that of Maroupoul, where Mayor Vadim Boïtchenko assured that Ukrainian forces “pushed back” attacks.
“Today was the most difficult and cruel day of the seven days of the war. Today, they just wanted to destroy us,” he said in a video on Telegram accusing the Russian troops to have “drawn on our residential buildings”. “Unfortunately, essential infrastructures have been damaged again. We are again without light, without water, without heating,” he added.
Ukrainian media also reported the death of eight people, including two children, in bombings in Izioum in the Kharkiv region, in the north of the country.