Ukraine's Zelensky hails Kherson capture as 'beginning of end of war'

A photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian presidential press service on November 14, 2022, shows President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the city of Kherson

Hugs for Ukrainian soldiers in Kherson after Russia's retreat from city

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said Ukraine's recapture of Kherson marked "the beginning of the end of the war" as he hailed the liberation of the city in a surprise visit.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg nonetheless cautioned that Ukraine was facing difficult months ahead and said that Russia's military capability should not be underestimated.

The Ukrainian presidency distributed images of Zelensky singing the national anthem with his hand over his chest as the country's blue and yellow flag was hoisted next to Kherson's main administrative building.

"It is a long way, difficult way, because the war took the best heroes of our country. We are ready for peace but our peace, for our country it’s all our country, all our territory," he added.

In Kherson, Zelensky said that "the price of this war is high".

- 'Mistake' to underestimate Russia -

The takeover is the latest in a string of setbacks for the Kremlin, which invaded Ukraine on February 24 hoping for a lightning takeover that would topple the government in days.

"Putin's aim is to leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter," he told a press conference in The Hague.

A senior US military official also told journalists that initial indications are that Russian forces caused "significant damage to civilian infrastructure," including "water and utility systems", prior to their departure.

Its recapture opens a gateway for Ukraine to the entire Kherson region, one of four that the Kremlin announced in September were annexed and part of Russia.

Biden and Xi agreed in talks at the G20 however that nuclear weapons should never be used, including in Ukraine, the White House said.

US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns meanwhile held talks with his Russian counterpart in Ankara to warn him about the consequences of using nuclear weapons.

A self-described partisan in Kherson told AFP after the Russian withdrawal that he and his friends had spent months walking the streets observing the Russians' every move.

"I was scared," the imposing but soft-spoken guitarist Volodymyr Timor said of the prospect of being caught and possibly killed.

It said his task was "to gather information, adjust fire on the Ukrainian armed forces and carry out sabotage."

Elsewhere, Ukraine's forces had retaken 12 towns and villages in the eastern region of Lugansk, the military and local officials said Monday.

But Russia's military also said its forces were making gains in the neighbouring region of Donetsk, capturing the village of Pavlivka, where fighting had caused controversy in Russia.

...

Originally published as Ukraine's Zelensky hails Kherson capture as 'beginning of end of war'