Ukrainian forces advance in south after Russia announces retreat

Moscow ordered its troops on Wednesday to withdraw from the entire Russian-held pocket on the west bank of the Dnipro River, including Kherson city

Ukrainian troops advanced in the south on November 10 after Moscow ordered one of the war's biggest retreats, though Kyiv remained publicly wary, warning that fleeing Russians could turn Kherson into a "city of death".

Ukraine's army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out, but that Ukrainian troops had advanced 7 km (4 miles) in the past 24 hours and recaptured 12 settlements.

"We continue to conduct the offensive operation in line with our plan," he wrote in a post on Telegram.

A small group of Ukrainian soldiers was shown on Ukraine's state TV in the centre of the village of Snihurivka around 55 km north of Kherson city. They were greeted by dozens of residents in a square, with a Ukrainian flag fluttering from a pole behind them. Reuters verified the location of the video.

"Today, on Nov. 10, 2022, Snihurivka was liberated by the forces of the 131st Separate Intelligence Battalion. Glory to Ukraine!" a commander declared as the locals applauded, cheered and filmed the soldiers on their phones.

Petro Lupan, a Ukrainian volunteer distributing bread to residents along a nearby stretch of the front line north of Kherson, told Reuters he had just learned of the recapture of Snihurivka from a friend reached by phone there.

"I can't find words to describe my feelings," the 46-year-old said.