Russia pulls troops out of Kherson, Ukraine

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia’s defense minister on Wednesday ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s southern port city of Kherson to the east bank of the Dnieper River.

“Proceed with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to ensure the safe transfer of personnel, weapons and equipment across the Dnieper River," Sergey Shoygu told Sergey Surovikin, commander of the Russian military group in Ukraine.

Shoygu stressed that the decision for a retreat was made to save the lives of Russian soldiers.

Last month, some 60,000 residents of Ukraine's Kherson region, then under Russian control, were evacuated amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

For his part, Surovikin said the military had stayed to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, and now that their task is completed, they can withdraw.