This is the moment victorious Ukrainian troops raise the national flag in the recently liberated village of Blahodatne in the southern Kherson region.
The footage emerges as Russian begins its withdrawal, moving back across the Dnieper River.
The footage shows a Ukrainian soldier carrying a flag and raising it in the settlement as civilians celebrate the arrival of the liberators, hugging the soldiers and shouting “Slava Ukraini!” (‘Glory to Ukraine!’).
The images were obtained from the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Friday, 11th November, along with a statement saying (in English): “Soldiers of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakov Handziuk – 9th Battalion ‘Vinnytsia Scythians’ raised the blue-yellow flag in the liberated Blagodatny, Kherson Region.
“There is still a lot of work ahead. We will continue to liberate our native land step by step.
“Kherson region is Ukraine!!!” (sic)
The images and statement were also relayed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 261st day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 11th November, Russia had lost about 79,400 personnel, 2,814 tanks, 5,696 armoured combat vehicles, 1,817 artillery units, 393 multiple launch rocket systems, 205 air defence systems, 278 warplanes, 261 helicopters, 1,505 drones, 399 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,259 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 159 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukrainian forces are reportedly closing in on the southern city of Kherson after Russia announced that it was retreating across the Dnieper River.
Ukraine has said that it thinks it will take at least a week for the Russian troops to leave the city and has reportedly liberated the strategically significant town of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, which lies near the border with Kherson Oblast, some 20 miles north of the city of Kherson.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has said that its retreat from the region is currently underway, saying: “The Russian troop units are manoeuvring to a prepared position on the left bank of the Dnieper River in strict accordance with the approved plan.”
The Ukrainian Defence Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has said that there are still approximately 40,000 Russian troops in the Kherson region.
Reznikov said: “It’s not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, one week.”
Ukraine has said that it does not want to rush into the city as it could be a trap by the Kremlin.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said Ukraine could not currently confirm if Russia was indeed retreating from the city, but Ukraine’s military forces have advanced over 22 miles and retaken 41 villages and towns in the region since the beginning of October, including 12 settlements on Wednesday.
US officials announced on Thursday that they would be sending an additional USD 400 million in military aid to Ukraine.
National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said: “This increased air defence will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure.”
