Ukraine: Kherson protesters march towards Russian soldiers

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Kherson was reported to have fallen under full Russian control on March 2, six days into Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. Despite Russia’s troops patrolling the streets, residents have mounted repeated protests against the invader, marching across the city defiantly to voice their loyalty to Kyiv. Footage shared online this week showed a crowd of Kherson residents surrounding Russian soldiers, angrily chanting “Kherson is Ukraine” and “Russians go home” in a show of defiance against the purported “liberation” of Ukraine.

Yunona, a 29-year-old IT worker living in Kherson, has been protesting against Russia since the invasion began.

She said: “I don’t know how to count the number of people protesting, I thought it was 2,000 at least,

“One of our friends was beaten and taken by the Russian soldiers and people got so angry they chased the occupiers down the street and took him back.”

English teacher Ohla said the troops deployed to the port city in the southeast of Ukraine looked young and uncertain how to handle the protesters.

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She said: “We go to the protests every day and they are close to us but they look afraid.

“We are all just waiting for the Ukrainian army to kick them out.”

Vladimir Putin has been warned to expect growing resistance from the population if he were to keep pushing his troops to invade the rest of the country.

Political experts have claimed Moscow had expected its “special operation” to conclude within days of troops crossing the border.

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But Ukrainians have proved to be resilient despite continued bombings and power cuts.

Capital Kyiv and Kharkiv have resisted attempts of Russian takeovers for over 13 days, with locals joining defence leagues and arming themselves against Moscow.

The Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra assembled on the central Maidan Square on Wednesday to play the national anthem as Russian forces advanced on the city.

The players also performed an excerpt from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in a nod to President Volodymyr Zelensky signing a request for accession to the European Union last week.

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Dozens of people applauded when the national anthem was finished and a woman cried out “To Ukraine!”.

The lyrics of the anthem include the lines, “Ukraine has not yet perished…. our enemies will vanish like dew in the sun.”

Putin’s forces have been advancing on Kyiv from several directions, although heavy fighting on the outskirts has slowed their progress.

Air raid sirens wailed in Kyiv on Wednesday and soldiers searched cars at checkpoints on main thoroughfares, reminders that the city of 3.4 million is on a war footing.

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