Jubilant crowds in Kherson greet Ukraine forces

Ukrainian officials on Friday confirmed the liberation of the southern city of Kherson was underway after Russian withdrawal. Ukrainian forces were met with jubilant crowds of locals as they rolled into the city.

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show Ukrainian civilians in Kherson celebrating the Russian withdrawal.

One video appeared to show Ukrainian soldiers being cheered on and happily carried by the crowds in Kherson's main square.

Another video appeared to show both the Ukrainian and European Union flags raised in the middle of the square, reports DW.

Large crowds gathered on the streets carrying Ukrainian flags in other videos, cheering for men in army fatigues as they slowly drove on the street.

Ukraine's intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov told The Associated Press that "an operation to liberate Kherson" and the surrounding region of the same name was underway.

Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said all its troops withdrew from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. 

The Russian ministry claimed that "not a single piece of military equipment and weapons was left." 

The retreat marks a significant setback for Russian forces, as Kherson city was the only major Ukrainian regional capital to fall into Russian hands at the start of the war. The region is also a strategic gateway to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014. 

Shortly before the Russian Defense Ministry announcement, the Kremlin remained defiant, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that Russia continued to view Kherson as part of its territory. 

Moscow announced earlier this week that it would pull its forces from the west bank of the Dnipro river, where Kherson city is located.

Ukrainian officials had expressed skepticism at the announcement and said it would likely take days, if not weeks, for Russian troops to fully retreat from Kherson. 

"Ukraine is gaining another important victory right now and proves that whatever Russia says or does, Ukraine will win," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. 

Friday's announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces liberated 41 settlements as they advanced through the south.

A Ukrainian official was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency that Kherson city is "almost" under the control of Ukraine's forces. 

Local media and social media posts have shown photos of the Ukrainian flags apparently raised in a square in Kherson city. 

A regional governor said at least five people were killed after a Russian strike hit a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv.

"A strike at a five-storey residential building. Destroyed from the 5th to the 1st floor," Mykolaiv's regional governor, Vitaliy Kim, wrote on social media. 

Russian forces have repeatedly struck the city for months. Zelenskyy said the latest strike was a "cynical response to our successes at the front," in an apparent reference to Ukraine's advances in the Kherson region. 

Strategic bridge near Kherson collapses: reports

Ukraine's public broadcaster reported that the already damaged Antonivskiy bridge collapsed. 

The strategic bridge was the only road crossing from Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River.

The state of the bridge, and the timing of its reported collapse, could help determine whether Russian forces did withdraw from Kherson city or not. 

Russian media reports suggested that the bridge was bombed after Russian troops retreated.

But a Russian-installed official in the Kherson region told the Interfax that the bridge hadn't been blown up and was "in the same condition." 

UN and Russian officials discuss grain deal extension

UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said talks between Russian officials and UN chiefs were underway in Geneva in a bid to extend a deal on grain exports.

"It is hoped that the discussions will advance progress made in facilitating the unimpeded export of food and fertilizers originating from the Russian Federation to the global markets," Vellucci said. 

The UN is seeking to renew a Black Sea agreement on exporting grain from Ukraine set to expire on November 19. 

Moscow has complained that another agreement that exempts Russian fertilizers from sanctions is "not being respected." That deal runs for three years.