Late last week, Russia announced that it had pulled back more than 30,000 of its troops in the Kherson region, retreating south of the Dnipro River. Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces moved into the area, retaking villages along the way, and entering the city of Kherson, where they were met by jubilant residents. While the citizens of Kherson celebrated their liberation and another setback for Russia’s military, they were also taking stock of their losses and the extensive damage left behind—and figuring out steps to survive and rebuild.
Celebrations as Ukraine Retakes Kherson
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![A civilian kisses a smiling soldier as others look on.]()
Read moreA Kherson resident kisses a Ukrainian soldier in central Kherson, Ukraine, on November 13, 2022. #
Efrem Lukatsky / AP -
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![People wave blue-and-yellow flags, celebrating in the street and on a car.]()
Read moreLocals celebrate after Russia's retreat from Kherson, in central Kherson, on November 12. #
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![A worker tears away a billboard reading "Russia is here forever" in Russian.]()
Read moreA worker tears away a billboard reading "Russia is here forever" in the recently recaptured city of Kherson on November 14. #
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![A person stands in a road, holding bunches of flowers.]()
Read moreLocal resident Nataliia Porkhun holds flowers to present to Ukrainian service members in the recently retaken village of Kyselivka, outside of Kherson, on November 12. #
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![On the side of a road, a person hands flowers to a soldier who is sitting in a truck.]()
Read moreOn November 12, Ukrainian citizens in the village of Kyselivka welcome Ukrainian soldiers with flowers as they enter the southern city of Kherson after Russia's retreat from the region. #
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![An aerial view of a heavily damaged road bridge across a wide river.]()
Read moreA view of the damaged Antonovsky bridge over the Dnipro River, in Kherson, on November 13 #
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![An abandoned and badly damaged tank sits in a field.]()
Read moreAn abandoned tank sits in a field, after Russia's retreat from Kherson, on November 13. #
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![Two soldiers stand guard, resting on a car on a long road that has been partially damaged by fighting.]()
Read moreUkrainian soldiers stand guard on the road from Mykolaiv to Kherson, on November 13. #
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![A soldier walks past piles of captured ammunition stored inside an empty building.]()
Read moreA Ukrainian soldier walks past captured Russian ammunition in the village of Blahodatne, retaken by the Ukrainian armed forces a day previous, in Ukraine's Kherson region, on November 11. #
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![Civilians gather in a crowd around a vehicle where food is being distributed.]()
Read moreResidents receive food donations in Novokyivka, in southern Ukraine, on November 13. #
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![A boy waves a large Ukrainian national flag in a town square.]()
Read moreA boy waves a Ukrainian national flag as he celebrates Russia's retreat from Kherson, in central Kherson, on November 13. #
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![Civilians hug several soldiers in a street.]()
Read moreA woman hugs a Ukrainian soldier as locals celebrate the liberation of their town in Kherson on November 12. #
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![A crowd of people gather around an access point to the internet, set up outside on a small table on pavement.]()
Read moreResidents use their phones to connect to the internet through a Starlink network connection, set up by members of the Ukrainian army after the liberation of Kherson, on November 13. #
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![A woman and two boys wrapped in Ukrainian flags pose for a selfie.]()
Read moreA woman and two boys wrapped in Ukrainian flags pose for a selfie in the recently recaptured city of Kherson on November 14. #
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![A local resident uses a long pole to remove the Russian flag from a billboard.]()
Read moreA local resident removes the Russian flag from a billboard in central Kherson on November 13. #
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![An aerial view of a toppled red-and-white broadcast tower]()
Read moreA TV tower destroyed by Russian troops in Kherson on November 14 #
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![A building with numerous satellite dishes attached to it stands scorched by a fire.]()
Read moreA burned TV-broadcast facility in Kherson, after Russia's retreat, on November 14 #
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![A half-dozen people fill large jugs with water on the steps of a river shoreline.]()
Read morePeople fill up bottles with river water after Russia's retreat from Kherson, on November 14. #
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![Several women greet a Ukrainian soldier with hugs.]()
Read moreWomen greet a Ukrainian soldier as locals gather to celebrate the liberation of Kherson, on November 13. #
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![A man wrapped in a Ukrainian flag plays guitar in a town square.]()
Read moreA man wrapped in a Ukrainian flag plays guitar as he sits by the state emblem in the recently recaptured city of Kherson on November 14. #
Oleksandr Gimanov / AFP / Getty
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