Ukrainian officials warn, the war is not over

• Ukrainian officials caution the conflict is not over.
• People celebrate Russia’s retreat from Kherson.
• Crowds cheered as Ukrainian troops entered Kherson.

Even as they celebrate Russia’s retreat from Kherson, Ukrainian officials caution “the conflict is not over.”

Crowds cheered as Ukrainian troops entered Moscow’s lone regional capital since February.

Kyiv and Odesa also reported happy scenes.

Officials remain cautious despite Moscow’s setback.

Yuriy Sak, a defence minister aide, told the BBC it’s “too early to rest.”

“We always imagined we’d liberate Kherson,” he said. “We’re certain that Russians now know they can’t win this conflict. They’re panicked. Their propaganda shows panic.

This is a big occasion, but the war isn’t done.

An adviser to Kherson’s mayor claims emergency supplies are arriving from Mykolaiv.

Roman Golovnya claims 70-80,000 people dwell in Kherson, down from 320,000 pre-war.

Before abandoning Kherson, the occupants destroyed communications, water, heat, and power, stated President Volodymyr Zelensky.

It’s unclear when the city’s energy will be restored, but adjacent towns should have it in a few days. Kherson’s bakeries couldn’t make bread without power.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces have begun clearing Russian mines and booby traps around Kherson.

Ukrainian TV, a crucial news source for many Ukrainians, has resumed programming.

Yuriy Sak and Oleksiy Kuleba, chief of Kyiv’s military administration, warned of missile attacks. Russia has recently fired missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, harming output.

“We’ve seen significant shelling of civilian settlements in Ukraine over the past month,” Kuleba said. The possibility of rocket attacks against Kyiv remains high.”

Oleksandr Danylyuk, the former head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, has warned that Russian troops who have retreated from Kherson will have crossed the Dnipro river to “go into deep defence on the left side,” telling the BBC “that will place them in a favorable position.”

Moscow said 30,000 people and 5,000 pieces of military equipment were removed.

According to BBC foreign editor Jeremy Bowen, the decision to pull out “saved the lives of soldiers who may have died fighting a losing war” and allowed them to be sent elsewhere.

The UK’s Ministry of Defense said it was “very likely” Russian soldiers damaged road and rail bridges over the Dnipro as they retreated. Friday images showed the Antonivsky Bridge partially fallen. Unknown harm inflicted.

Other photographs showed damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam, 58km (36 miles) north-east of Kherson.

Maxar tweeted that “parts of the dam and sluice gates” were wrecked. Maxar’s images show a road and railway line cut over the dam. The BBC hasn’t independently assessed the damage’s cause.

BBC-verified video shows a dam explosion.

Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of planning to blow up the dam, threatening flooding in Kherson.

Russia has lost the administrative capital of one of the four territories it illegally annexed in September, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defense.

Moscow said Saturday that Henichesk, a port city near Russian-occupied Crimea, will be its interim capital.

Interfax reports that authorities evacuated all regional offices and “statues and historic artefacts” from Kherson city and its vicinity. It says 115,000 individuals were evacuated.

Ben Wallace, UK Defense Secretary, called Moscow’s withdrawal from Kherson “another strategic disaster.”

“Russia failed to achieve any important goals in February except Kherson,” he remarked.

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