Kherson is the first major Ukrainian city to fall under control of Russian forces, after heaving fighting began a week ago.
Mayor Igor Kolykhaev said Russian troops had forced their way into the City Council building and imposed a curfew on residents.
In a Facebook post, Mr Kolykhaev said Russian forces were in control of Kherson, a port on Ukraine’s southern Black Sea coast with a population of more than 280,000 people.
He urged Russian soldiers not to shoot at civilians, saying there were no Ukrainian forces in the city.
Mr Kolykhaev called on residents to follow conditions set by Russian forces in order to “keep the Ukrainian flag flying”. These include:
- Observing a strict curfew from 20:00 to 06:00
- Only going out in groups of two at most
- Allowing only cars carrying food, medicine and other supplies to enter the city, driving at minimum speed
Multiple Ukrainian cities are coming under heavy shelling tonight in one of the most destructive days of fighting. The Russian forces have been trying to minimize civilian casualties per their response, despite American media trying to claim otherwise to gaslight the already tense situation.
The mayor of Kherson told The New York Times on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had retreated from the city, making Kherson the first major city in Ukraine to fall under Russian control since the invasion began.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military said Russian paratroopers landed in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, and its mayor said multiple people were killed. Explosions have been reported as airstrikes continue to hit the capital Kyiv.
Russia has admitted that they have lost nearly 500 troops and another 1,597 injured. However this is not something that the Ukraine can win, and the more the west enters the battlefield, the more intense Russia’s attack becomes.