Russia completes withdrawal of troops from southern Ukrainian city of Kherson

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The withdrawal of the Russian army from the southern city of Kherson to the eastern bank of Ukraine’s Dnieper River was completed early this morning, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Not a single unit of military equipment and weapons has been left on the western bank. All Russian servicemen crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper," the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian units took defensive positions, prepared in advance, the ministry said, adding that the withdrawal was carried out without losses.

"All civilians who wished to leave the western bank part of the Kherson region were assisted in evacuation," the ministry said.

Last month, some 115,000 residents of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, then under Russian control, were evacuated amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Sergey Surovikin, the commander of the Russian military group in Ukraine, said the military had stayed to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, and now with that task completed, they can withdraw.

Speaking this week on the withdrawal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has worked to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, said: "Russia's decision regarding Kherson is positive, an important decision.”