Russia-Ukraine war: Russian troops capture Kherson, city Mayor confirms

Kherson's mayor informed that Russian troops had entered the city after a day of conflicting statements over whether Moscow had made the first major gain of a city in its eight-day-long invasion.  

The Mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhaev, confirmed that Russian troops are capturing the port city. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office stated that the fight is still continuing. Russian officials claim to have "complete control" of Kherson. Russian forces were in the city, Mayor Igor Kolykhaev claimed, who arrived at the local administration building. As per Reuters and AP, Mayor asked Russian soldiers not to shoot civilians and to allow them to collect the bodies from the streets.

In a statement, Mayor Igor Kolykhaev said, "I just urged them not to shoot at people." "There is no Ukrainian military in the city, and there are only citizens and people who wish to live," he added.

A 300,000-strong city, Kherson, is strategically positioned on the banks of the Dnieper River, where it flows into the Black Sea. If Russian troops control the city, they may open a water canal, restoring water supplies to the Crimean Peninsula.

The battle for Kherson began on the first day of the invasion, i.e., last Thursday. Russian troops could hold a bridge connecting the city with the territory on the western bank. 

Russia has stated that it will continue to exert military pressure on Ukraine. On Wednesday, the assault on Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, continued, with the mayor claiming that residential areas were being bombed. Nearly four more individuals were killed, and nine others were injured in the shelling in the day, the emergency services stated. 

The United Nations condemned Russia's week-long invasion in a historic resolution, and dozens of countries referred to Moscow to be investigated for potential war crimes.