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Russian troops have occupied the city of Herson, marking the first major Ukrainian city to fall into a devastating one-week war that has already created one million refugees.
The takeover of the 290,000-strong city, which just last year held NATO-backed combat exercises, was seen as a significant boost for Moscow as it prepares for possible ceasefire talks Thursday.
The Russian “occupiers” were on “all sides” of Herson, admitted Ukrainian regional official Gennady Lakhuta late Wednesday.
The invasion came after a three-day siege that left the city without food and medicine and trying to collect and bury the dead.
The mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, also announced that he was in talks with the “armed guests”.
He “had made no promise” to the invading forces, but agreed to a night curfew and restrictions on car traffic.
“So far so good. “The flag that flies over us is Ukrainian and in order for it to stay that way, these requirements must be met,” he said in a Facebook post.
Moscow’s victory in Herson comes a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army marched on Ukraine from the north, east and south.
Russian forces have sporadically bombed civilian targets across the country, including the capital Kiev and the second city of Kharkiv, which is now under intense attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the rocket and missile barrage a “war crime” and the International Criminal Court has confirmed that an investigation is under way.
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