Zelenskyy triumphantly walked the streets of Kherson, hailing Russia’s withdrawal as the “beginning of the end of the war,” but also acknowledging the high cost Ukrainian troops are paying in their grinding effort to push back the Russians.
Zelenskyy awarded medals to soldiers and posed for selfies with them in Kherson, striking a defiant tone.
“This is the beginning of the end of the war,” he said. “We are step by step coming to all the temporarily occupied territories.”
But he also grimly noted that the fighting “took the best heroes of our country”.
Zelenskyy’s trip to Kherson was another is a series of unexpected visits to front-line areas at crucial moments of the war. This one was laden with both symbolism and the common touch — clearly aimed at boosting morale of soldiers and civilians alike.