Russia’s defence ministry says it has completed the withdrawal of troops from the key city of Kherson in Ukraine’s south
All soldiers were moved across the Dnipro river to the eastern bank early this morning, the defence ministry in Moscow said
No military equipment or weapons were left behind on the west bank, it added
Kherson remains the only regional capital to have been captured by Russia since the invasion began in February, so losing it is a significant blow
Pictures from the ground appears to show that the bridge used by Russian troops to evacuate has been destroyed
It’s unclear what caused the bridge to collapse, some Russian sources claim that they destroyed it themselves, having completed the withdrawal process
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said overnight that Ukrainian forces had retaken dozens of towns and villages as they advanced towards Kherson city
Moscow’s commander in Ukraine announced the withdrawal on Wednesday saying it wasn’t possible to continue supplying the city