Russia to push west toward the city of Odessa.
QUICK FACTS:
- Russia continued its assault on Ukraine Wednesday afternoon, capturing the strategically important port city of Kherson near the Black Sea in Ukraine’s south and making it the first major Ukrainian city to fall, The Washington Examiner reports.
- Russian forces surrounded the city, causing Ukrainian soldiers to retreat to the nearby city of Mykolaiv.
- “There is no Ukrainian army here,” Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaev said. “The city is surrounded.”
- Ukraine’s government had earlier played down reports that Kherson had fallen into Russian hands, according to ABC News.
WHAT RUSSIA IS SAYING:
- Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Kherson was under Russian soldiers’ “complete control,” according to ABC News.
- Konashenkov went on to say the city’s civilian infrastructure, essential facilities, and transport were operating as usual and there were no shortages of food or essential goods.
- The spokesman also said talks between the Russian commanders, city administrations, and regional authorities on how to maintain order in the city were underway on Wednesday.
BACKGROUND:
- There had been uncertainty earlier about Kherson’s fate, The Examiner notes, with Russia claiming it had captured the city early Wednesday while the mayor said it remained under Ukrainian control.
- That changed by early afternoon.
- Russian troops also attacked the port city of Mariupol for 15 hours, while bearing down on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and Kyiv, its capital.
