Ukrainian Soldiers Sweeping Into Kherson Are Greeted With Jubilation

KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian soldiers arrived like heroes, greeted with kisses and songs. In the city of Kherson, which had endured months of Russian occupation, residents poured into the streets on Friday. They hoisted Ukrainian flags, and danced in joy around a glowing bonfire.

Their excitement, which was captured on videos they sent out to the world, did not erase the momentous problems that a brutal war has inflicted. Despite a Russian retreat, there was still uncertainty about the future, worries about further attacks and concerns about the lack of food, fuel and electricity.

And there was dread that the full human cost of nine months of Russian rule would soon become clear.

But above all in Kherson, a provincial capital that had once been one of Russia’s biggest prizes of war, there was unbridled jubilation and a fragile sense of relief. It was a feeling echoed across the country.

“Kherson is Ukrainian!” shouted one man who was filmed standing outside the Kherson regional government headquarters on Friday afternoon as Ukrainian soldiers cautiously made their way into the city. Everywhere Ukrainian soldiers were seen, residents said, they were mobbed by crowds wanting to touch them, kiss them, shake their hands.

In phone and text message interviews, residents said the emotional moment harked back to March 13, 1944 — the day the city was liberated from Nazi forces. But the sense of newfound freedom was also offset by uncertainty and fear.

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Residents and the Ukrainian military worried that Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes could be hiding in homes scattered around the city.