The heroic resistance of the army and the inhabitants of Kherson has found its limits. During the night of Wednesday to Thursday, this large city in southern Ukraine fell under the control of the Russian army, after intense bombardments and fierce fighting. The Russian army had already announced Wednesday morning its conquest of the port city, but the Ukrainians had not yet said their last word. This time, the mayor of Kherson himself, Igor Kolykhayev, admitted the defeat, indicating that he spoke with “armed guests” in a building of the administration of Kherson, implying, without naming them, Russian troops.
“We had no weapons and were not aggressive. We have shown that we are working to secure the city and trying to deal with the consequences of the invasion,” he said in a Facebook post. “We are facing huge difficulties with the collection and burial of the dead, the delivery of food and medicine, the collection of garbage, the management of accidents, etc. “, he continued. He assured that he had “made no promises” to the Russians and “simply asked not to shoot at people”, also announcing a night curfew in the city and a restriction on car traffic. ” So far, so good. The flag flying above us is Ukrainian. And for it to stay that way, those requirements must be met,” he added.
And now Mariupol
After Berdiansk, Kherson, located not far from Crimea, is therefore the second port in Ukraine to fall. The Russian army is now concentrating part of its forces on that of Mariupol, in order to ensure total control of the Sea of Azov and to form a land passage between Crimea and the separatist territories.
“Today was the most difficult and cruel day of the seven-day war. Today they just wanted to destroy us all,” Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boitchenko commented in a video on Telegram accusing Russian troops of “shooting at our residential buildings.” “Unfortunately, critical infrastructure has again been damaged. We are again without light, without water, without heating,” he added.