Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Nov. 11 that Russia continues to consider Kherson its territory, despite the withdrawal of its troops from the city, according to Russian state-controlled news agency TASS.
Peskov didn't comment on Russian military leadership's decision to leave Kherson.
Russian forces have completely withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro River, where the city of Kherson sits, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered to retreat on Nov. 9.
Ukraine's Armed Forces entered the city of Kherson on Nov. 11, according to the Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate.
"Kherson returns to Ukraine, as the Armed Forces enter the city," its statement reads. "The retreat routes are under the fire control of the Ukrainian army. Every Russian soldier who resists will be destroyed."
On Sept. 30, dictator Vladimir Putin said Russia was annexing Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts. Back then, Putin said Russia would "defend" the territories of the four oblasts it laid claim to against the Ukrainian forces "with all means available."
The city of Kherson in southern Ukraine was occupied by Russian forces in March, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion in February.
