Russia declares new capital of Kherson region

Jump to contentSign up to our newslettersSubscribeNewsSportsVoicesCultureLifestyleTravelPremiumCloseJournalist welcomed by visibly emotional people in KhersonRussia have declared a new ‘temporary capital’ for the Kherson region after Ukrainian troops retook the city. The state-owned Russian news agency Tass reported that Alexander Fomin, a member of the imposed administration in occupied Kherson, said that Henichesk was now the temporary administrative capital of Kherson. It comes as Kherson residents have been celebrating in the streets.Locals told CNN they ‘felt free’ and it was ‘amazing’ to see their hometown liberated after eight months under Russian control.The withdrawal marked the third major Russian retreat in the war and the first to involve yielding such a large occupied city in the face of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive that has retaken parts of the east and south.Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said Friday, when the retreat was completed, was ‘a historic day’. He said: ‘We are getting the south of the country back, we are getting Kherson back.’However Ukrainian officials warned that ‘the war is not over’.1668287132Russian forces destroyed the critical infrastructure in the southern city of Kherson before fleeing, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, adding that local authorities were starting to stabilise the city.Jubilant residents welcomed troops arriving in the centre of Kherson on Friday after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since the start of the war.’Before fleeing from Kherson, the occupiers destroyed all the critical infrastructure: communications, water, heat, electricity,’ Zelenskiy said in a video address.'(Russians) everywhere have the same goal: to humiliate people as much as possible. But we will restore everything, believe me,’ he continued.Zelenskiy said Ukrainian troops had taken control of more than 60 settlements in the Kherson region.’Police have launched stabilization measures. Stabilization measures are also underway in Kherson,’ he said.Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 21:051668285272Russian president Vladimir Putin has spoken to Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday. Both leaders placed emphasis on deepening political, trade and economic cooperation, a read-out of the meeting said. ‘A number of topical issues on the bilateral agenda were discussed, with the emphasis on further enhancing cooperation in the political, trade and economic fields, including the transport and logistics sector,’ the Kremlin said.A senior Russian security official met Iranian leaders in Tehran on Wednesday and the two countries pledged closer ties.The visit took place following accusations by Ukraine and the West that Russia has used Iranian drones to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.Iran says it sent Russia a small number of drones before the war began. Last month, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters that Iran had promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 20:341668283112Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba pressed Southeast Asian countries for political and material support in his county’s fight against Russia, while accusing Moscow on Saturday of playing ‘hunger games’ with the world by holding up shipments of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products.Mr Kuleba told reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit that with a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain and fertilizer due to expire Nov. 19, the world needed to pressure Russia not to object to its extension, saying Ukrainian products were critical in Africa and Asia.More than just continuing the deal, however, Kuleba accused Russian inspectors of ‘quiet sabotage,’ saying they were intentionally dragging their feet in allowing shipments through.Not only does Russia have ‘to remain part of the initiative, it also has to instruct its inspectors to act in good faith and to avoid any measures, any steps, that create obstacles and hinder the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods to the global market,’ he said.’Russia should – must – stop playing hunger games with the world.’Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 19:581668281492Ukraine would decide on the timing and contents of any negotiation framework with Russia, according to a readout of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Phnom Penh on Saturday.Blinken also discussed the United States’ unwavering commitment to assist Ukraine in mitigating the effects of Russia’s attacks on critical infrastructure as winter approaches, including accelerated humanitarian aid.’Secretary (Blinken) reiterated that the timing and contents of any negotiation framework remains Ukraine’s decision,’ State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 19:311668279932Ukrainians were videoed singing and dancing in liberated Kherson after almost nine months of Russian occupation. Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 19:051668277892US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that it is up to Ukraine ‘when and how they want to negotiate’ with Russia, adding ‘we’re not going to pressure them’. Speaking on Air Force One, Mr Sullivan outlined President Biden’s position, saying: ‘He said in the press conference it’s up to Ukraine to decide when and how they want to negotiate. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. We’re not going to pressure them; we’re not going to dictate to them.’Speaking about Russia’s approach, Mr Sullivan continued: ‘Russia is doubling down on its ‘annexation’, quote, unquote – annexation of Ukrainian territory. That’s not exactly a sign of seriousness about negotiating. As long as Russia holds the position that it simply gets to grab as much territory as it wants by force, it’s hard to see them as a good-faith counterparty in a negotiation.’Mr Sullivan said that the US was going ‘everything we can…to put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield.’Finally he added: ‘If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine. ‘So this whole notion, I think, in the Western press of ‘When is Ukraine going to negotiate?’ misses the underlying fundamentals, which is that Russia continues, even as recently as the last 24 hours, to make these outlandish claims about annexed Russian territory – quote, unquote ‘Russian territory’ – including territory they just left.’Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 18:311668275072Another Bansky-style graffiti has emerged in Ukraine, with defense ministry sharing it on their Twitter account. They captioned the piece ‘We are stronger than David They are weaker than Goliath’. Read the full story about the Banksy art here: Anonymous artist shares pictures of new artwork on social media Holly Bancroft12 November 2022 17:441668273032Locals have been thanking members of the Ukrainian armed forces in the retaken village of Kyselivka, outside of Kherson. Local resident Valentyna Buhaiova embraces Ukrainian marines in the recently retaken village of Kyselivka, outside of KhersonNataliia Porkhun holds flowers to present them to Ukrainian service membersLocal residents Nataliia Porkhun and Valentyna BuhaiovaHolly Bancroft12 November 2022 17:101668270648Ukraine’s foreign minister has sought to temper the excitement over Russia’s retreat from the city of Kherson. ‘We are winning battles on the ground, but the war continues,’ Dmytro Kuleba said from Cambodia, where he was attending a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr Kuleba brought up the prospect of the Ukrainian army finding evidence of possible Russian war crimes in Kherson, just as it did after previous Russian pullbacks in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. ‘Every time we liberate a piece of our territory, when we enter a city liberated from Russian army, we find torture rooms and mass graves with civilians tortured and murdered by Russian army in the course of the occupation,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy to speak with people like this. But I said that every war ends with diplomacy and Russia has to approach talks in good faith.’Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, spoke about the Russian retreat from Kherson while in CambodiaZoe Tidman12 November 2022 16:301668269508Although Russian troops have retreated from Kherson’s capital city, around 70 per cent of the region is still under Russian control. An official in its Kremlin-appointed administration told Tass, Russia’s state news agency, on Saturday a new city would serve as the ‘temporary capital’. This was Henichesk, a city on the Azov Sea 200km southeast of Kherson, where residents have been celebrating Russia’s exit. Ukrainian media derided the announcement, with the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper saying Russia ‘had made up a new capital’ for the region.Zoe Tidman12 November 2022 16:11Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inRegistration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inVolodymyr ZelenskyUkraineRussiaKhersonVladimir PutinBen WallacePeople gather in Kyiv’s Maidan square to celebrate the liberation of KhersonAFP via Getty ImagesPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in