💰 Ukraine troops greeted with flowers in Kherson after Russian retreat

TL;DR

KLAPAYA, Ukraine, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Villagers holding flowers waited on the road to the southern city of Kherson to greet and kiss Ukrainian soldiers on Saturday as they poured in to secure control of the right bank of the Dnipro River after a stunning Russian retreat.Volleys of incoming and outgoing artillery fire continued to blast around Kherson's international airport and the police said they were setting up checkpoints in and around the city and sweeping for mines left behind by the Russians.In the hamlet of Klapaya, about 10 km from Kherson's center, Nataliya Porkhunuk, 66, and Valentyna Buhailova, 61, stood on the verge of a rutted track holding bunches of freshly-picked flowers, smiling, and waving at passing vehicles carrying Ukrainian troops."We've become 20 years younger in the last two days," Buhailova said, just before a Ukrainian soldier jumped out of a small truck and hugged the pair.But for two weeks, Russian soldiers took over Klapaya and told villagers they were there to search for "Nazis, and Banderites, and American biolabs," she said, adding she had replied: "If you want to look for them, look elsewhere and go home.""

Like summarized versions? Support us on Patreon!