KHERSON, Ukraine — President
Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said it was “impossible to kill Ukraine” as he hailed the
liberation of city of Kherson in a surprise visit.
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NATO secretary general
Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile
cautioned that Ukraine was facing difficult months ahead and Russia’s military
capability should not be underestimated, despite the takeover of Kherson city.
The Ukrainian
presidency distributed images of Zelensky singing the national anthem with his
hand over his chest as the country’s blue and yellow flag was hoisted next to
Kherson’s main administrative building.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman denied,
however, that the Ukrainian leader’s visit had any impact on the status of the
Kherson region, which Moscow formally annexed into Russia at a ceremony last
month.
The takeover by Ukrainian troops is the latest in a
string of setbacks for the Kremlin, which invaded Ukraine on February 24 hoping
for a lightning takeover and to topple the government in days.
But Russian troops failed to capture the capital
Kyiv and have since been pushed back from large portions of territory in the
south and east.
Still, Stoltenberg said that “the coming months will
be difficult” and cautioned that “we should not make the mistake of
underestimating Russia.”
“Putin’s aim is to leave Ukraine cold and dark this
winter,” he told a press conference in The Hague after meeting the Dutch
foreign and defense ministers.
The city of Kherson was the first major urban hub to
fall to Russian forces and the only regional capital Moscow’s troops gained
control over.
Its recapture opens a gateway for Ukraine to the
entire Kherson region, with access to both the Black Sea in the west and the
Sea of Azov in the east.
The region was one of four that the Kremlin
announced in September were annexed and part of Russia. Russian President
Vladimir Putin vowed to use all available means to defend them from Ukrainian
forces, hinting at the use of nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said Monday he would
not comment on Zelensky’s visit to Kherson but added: “this territory is part
of the Russian Federation.”
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s forces had retaken 12 towns and
villages in the eastern region of Lugansk, the military and local officials
said Monday.
The eastern industrial region has been held by
Russian-supported separatists since 2014 but Kyiv’s forces have slowly been
clawing back territory there.
But Russia’s military also said its forces were
making gains in the neighboring region of Donetsk, capturing the village of
Pavlivka, where fighting had caused controversy in Russia.
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