Saturday 12 November 2022 01:53 AM Did Putin's dambusters 'deliberately destroy' the Nova Kakhovka dam in ... trends now

Satellite images have emerged showing damage to a Russian-held dam near Kherson as Putin's troops left a trail of destruction in their retreat from the city.

Sections of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which stands on the Dnipro River and holds back 'millions of tonnes' of water, seem to have been 'deliberately destroyed' according to a satellite imaging company.

Pictures released by Maxar Technologies appear to show damage to sections of the northern part of the dam and sluice gates at the Russian-held hydroelectric power plant, although it is unclear how and by who the damage was caused.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of plotting to breach the dam, with Moscow blaming Ukraine for damage to it caused by shelling earlier this month, despite providing no evidence to back these claims.

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed last month that Vladimir Putin's forces had mined the plant and planned to blow it up in a bid to cover their retreat from the city of Kherson with a vast deluge of water. 

Bursting the Soviet-era the dam could cause severe destruction to Kherson city, which Russia declared it had withdrawn from this morning, and put hundreds of thousands of people living downstream at risk of flooding. 

Further images which have emerged show significant damage to several bridges following the hasty withdrawal of Putin's forces from Kherson to the East bank of the Dnipro river. 

'Satellite images this morning... reveal significant new damage to several bridges and the Nova Kakhovka dam in the aftermath of the Russian retreat from Kherson across the Dnipro river,' Maxar said in a statement. 

President Zelensky today declared that Kherson is back in Ukrainian hands following Russia's retreat from the city - the only regional capital Putin's forces had taken since the invasion began.

Jubilant locals wept as they kissed and embraced the first Ukrainian soldiers to arrive in the centre of the Black Sea port, the first major urban hub that fell to Russia. 

'Our people. Ours. Kherson,' Zelensky wrote on Telegram today as footage showed Ukrainian troops gathering with residents of the city to celebrate the landmark victory.

In an address to the Ukrainian people, the President said: 'today is a historic day, we are returning the south of our country, returning Kherson.'

He praised the strength and spirit of the people of Kherson, who he said 'believed in Ukraine' despite the 'threats, repression and abuse of the occupiers'. 

The southern city was liberated today after nine months under Russian occupation in what has been a major blow for the Kremlin.

Ukrainian soldiers were treated to a hero's welcome by jubilant crowds as they arrived in the city centre throughout the day, with celebrations going on into the night.

An emotional video appears to show locals hoisting a Ukrainian flag on a monument in the city as they support one another and sing together. 

Earlier in the day, young men were filmed victoriously cheering as they raised a flag in the city's Freedom Square.

Flag-waving locals wept, chanted the name of the Ukrainian armed forces, hugged and kissed troops as they arrived in the city's main square hours after the bulk of Moscow's forces fled back across the Dnipro River.

Ukraine's artillery had pounded river crossings overnight and into the early hours in the hopes of destroying any last Russians trying to flee.

While Russia said it had withdrawn 30,000 troops across the Dnipro River without losing a single soldier, Ukrainians have described a chaotic retreat and pro-Russian war bloggers have described them coming under heavy fire. 

Serhii Khlan, the deputy head of Kherson's regional council, disputed the claim that retreating forces took all their equipment with them, saying he was told 'a lot' of hardware got left behind. 

Satellite images show the only road route near Kherson across the river, the already damaged Antonivskiy bridge, collapsed, with Russian military bloggers saying it was probably blown up as Russian troops withdrew.

Local reports suggested that Russian troops had been forced to retreat via a makeshift bridge nearby.

A large number of Russian soldiers drowned in the river as they tried to escape and others had changed into civilian clothing, Khlan said. 

Council member Khlan earlier advised Kherson residents not to leave their homes while searches for remaining Russian troops took place.

Ukraine's defence intelligence agency said Kherson was being restored to Ukrainian control and ordered any remaining Russian troops to surrender to Kyiv's forces entering the city. 

Rumours swirled that thousands of troops might still be trapped in the city, but as the day wore on those hopes seemed to be ill-founded. 

Fears that Russia could be laying some kind of trap also failed to materialise, perhaps suggesting a disinformation campaign to delay the Ukrainian advance long enough for soldiers to get out. 

The withdrawal, in the face of an intense Ukrainian counter-offensive, marks Russia's third major retreat of the war.

As the news settles in of the city's recapture, Ukrainians have been celebrating across the embattled country.

Videos out of Kherson appear to show locals partying in the streets tonight as they enjoy their first taste of freedom from the Russian occupiers since March.

Amid the celebrations, Mr Khlan said the humanitarian situation there is dire as the occupiers had destroyed key infrastructure. 'The situation with fuel is difficult and there has been no electricity for a week,' he said. Temperatures hit 3C (37F) yesterday, with freezing weather expected to arrive next week.

Nevertheless, victory parades started to break out after it had become clear that Russia no longer controlled the city.

'Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes,' shouted one man in a video circulating on social media, a slogan first used by the country's military as a greeting during Ukraine's 1917-1921 war of independence.

Iryna Osadcha, a 30-year-old Kherson resident, said that she sobbed as she saw Ukrainian soldiers entering the city. 'My emotions cannot be described in words,' she told the Mail. 'I want to thank Britain and the whole world for their help and faith in us.'

Dasha Zarivna, a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser who was born and raised in Kherson, said she was 'extremely emotional to see Ukrainian flags flying over its

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