On March 2, 2022, the Ukrainian city of Kherson fell to Russian forces. Now, over eight months later, Ukrainians have spent their weekend celebrating that the Russian troops have withdrawn from the city.
In an announcement made on November 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered Russian forces in Kherson to retreat across the Dnieper River, marking one of the most significant setbacks for Russia in the Ukraine war.
Since the announcement, photos have flooded social media of happy and joyous Ukrainians embracing soldiers and one another and celebrating the provincial capital's liberation.
In a video posted by the Ukrainian defense ministry, one woman in Kherson digs up a Ukrainian flag buried under paving slabs, that appears to have been hidden when Putin's troops seized the city.
She waves the flag defiantly, unwrapping layers of protective plastic.
"Russian invaders want to erase #Ukrainian identity. But it is always in our hearts and souls … and somewhere else! Khersonians show how they managed to save the yellow-blue flag to bring it to the streets of the city on liberation day," the ministry wrote on Twitter.