Two suspected collaborators are confronted by residents of Kherson.
They were captured after Ukrainian troops entered the southern city following the Russian evacuation.
Many of those who collaborated with the Russians after the occupation of Kherson earlier in the war in March have fled the city in recent weeks.
But these two men were arrested yesterday and guarded by a Ukrainian soldier as they awaited their fate.
Although Kherson celebrated its liberation yesterday, there are fears that Russian troops are still present in the city and surrounding area. Intelligence officials said they could wear civilian clothes to avoid arrest.
The Ukrainians are dealing with massive devastation and traps left in their wake by fleeing Russians.
Two suspected collaborators are confronted by residents of the newly liberated city of Kherson.
Ukrainian troops were enthusiastically greeted by residents as they entered Kherson, but the real toll of eight months of occupation is beginning to set in
Almost 2,000 explosives, including mines, cables and duds, have already been cleared by ten bomb squads in the liberated city.
It came as Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned: “Russia is far from given up.” He said Moscow would be “concerned” and “disappointed” about the loss of Kherson, but added that it matters, the Russians should not “underestimate”.
“History will remind you that Russia can be cruel to its own country,” Wallace said. “If they need more cannon fodder, they will.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last night that investigators had discovered more than 400 Russian war crimes and found the bodies of military and civilians in the Kherson region.
Despite yesterday’s cheers for the liberation in Kherson, there are fears that Russian troops are still present in and around the city.
He said the occupiers had “destroyed all essential infrastructure – communication, water supply, heat, electricity”.
Satellite images also show significant damage to the nearby Nova Kakhovka dam amid concerns about its structural integrity.
Mr Zelensky promised: “We will fix everything, believe me, although it will take time.”
Ukrainian troops were enthusiastically greeted by residents when they entered Kherson, but the real toll of eight months of occupation was beginning to set in.
Residents said they had been without water and electricity for days, and officials warned it was “a humanitarian disaster”.
The Russians even stole llamas, a raccoon and wolves from a zoo.
Ukrainian police have warned refugees not to return to the city until it is secured after an officer was injured during the demining of an administration building on Saturday.
Police have set up checkpoints and there is a curfew from 5pm to 8am to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the country.
Kyiv claimed that a precision strike near the town of Dnipriany, about 30 miles east of Kherson, hit a building occupied by 500 Russian soldiers. Ukrainian officials said the explosion killed two truckloads of Russian troops.
Although the liberation of the region’s only Russian-captured capital represents a major strategic victory for Ukraine, there is still a long way to go.
Now that Russian troops have retreated to the relatively safe eastern bank of the Dnipro River, they can allocate more men to their offensive in Donbas, further north.
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