The key southern city on the Dnipro river has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February.
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Ukrainian soldiers entered the key southern city of Kherson on Friday after Russian forces earlier said they had completed their retreat across the Dnipro River.
Review Friday's events as they happened in our blog below, or watch the latest news in the player above.
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In summary
- Ukraine's army has entered Kherson, confirms Kyiv
- Earlier, Russia said it had completed the withdrawal of its troops from the city
- Images and videos on social media show the Ukraine flag being hoisted in central Kherson
- Bridge from Kherson to Russian-occupied territory destroyed
- Nova Kakhovka dam significantly damaged
- Ukraine "in process of securing a major victory" -- think-tank
- Moscow insists Kherson 'is still part of Russia'
Ukrainians gather in Kyiv's Maidan square to celebrate liberation of Kherson
Dozens of Ukrainians, some refugees from Kherson, gathered for celebrations on the capital's main square that continued into the night.
People popped bottles of champagne, sang the national anthem and shouted: “Glory to Ukraine”. Some expressed surprise at the speed of events.
“I thought the Russian army would defend and there’d be a kind of siege like in Mariupol,” the eastern port devastated in weeks of battle, said Andrey Trach, a resident of Odesa who works in Kyiv.
“It’s a very significant day for Ukraine because it shows the entire world that Ukraine can and definitely will defend every square kilometer and inch of territory."
Ukrainians gather in Kyiv's Maidan square to celebrate liberation of Kherson, in photos
Moscow forces left behind 'lots of mines and explosives' in Kherson, Zelenskyy says
Russian troops left a significant number of "mines and explosives" during their withdrawal from Kherson, on "vital objects, in particular," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on his website on Friday.
Ukraine's leader also said that journalists' access to the key southern city liberated by Kyiv forces on Friday could not be ensured until "at least basic communications" are defined.
"We will restore all conditions of normal life - as much as possible," he said.
Nova Kakhovka dam 'significantly damaged' during Russian retreat from Kherson, satellite images show
Significant new damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine can be seen following Russia's withdrawal from nearby Kherson city, US satellite imagery company Maxar said on Friday.
Maxar said images taken on Friday showed several bridges that cross the Dnipro river had also been damaged.
"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.
It said sections of the northern extent of the dam and sluice gates had been "deliberately destroyed". Earlier this week, Russia accused Ukraine of shelling the dam.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each of planning to breach the dam using explosives, which would flood much of the area downstream and would likely cause major destruction around Kherson.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday hailed "the return of Kherson to Ukraine, an important step towards the full restoration of its sovereign rights," after the liberation of the key southern Ukrainian city by Kyiv troops.
"France will continue to support Ukrainian men and women," the French president added on Twitter in Ukrainian.
Bodies of civilians suspected to have been killed during Russian occupation found in Beryslav
Ukrainian security forces have found the remains of at least three civilians in Beryslav in the Kherson region, believed to have been killed during Moscow's occupation of the city, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Friday.
The bodies were found in the basement of a residential unit and showed injuries to the skull, the office stated in a Telegram post.
"The remains of the victims were sent for a set of examinations, including DNA tests," the message said.
Beryslav, a city of some 12,000 before the February full-scale invasion, was liberated by the Ukrainian army on Friday. It is situated on the banks of the Dnipro river, some 76 kilometres northeast of Kherson.
'Kherson is ours!' Zelenskyy hails recapture of city
Kherson is "ours", President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said triumphantly after Ukrainian troops entered the city.
"Our people. It's ours. Kherson," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, accompanying his short message with the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag.
Here's a translation of his message:
"Today is a historic day. We are taking back Kherson. As of now, our defenders are on the outskirts of the city. But special units are already in the city.
"Kherson residents have been waiting. They have never given up on Ukraine. Hope for Ukraine is always justified - and Ukraine always returns its own.
"And even when the city is not completely cleared of the enemy presence - Kherson residents themselves are already removing Russian symbols from the streets and buildings and any traces of the occupiers' presence in Kherson.
"The same was in all other cities liberated by our defenders. The same will be in those cities that are still waiting for our return.
Ukraine will come to all its people.
"And I am grateful to every soldier and every unit of the Defence Forces who are ensuring the conduct of this offensive operation in the south.
Absolutely everyone - from privates to generals. The Armed Forces, intelligence, the Security Service, the National Guard - all those who brought this day closer for Kherson region."
Where does Kherson withdrawal leave Russia's wider war?
The Kremlin has denied its withdrawal from the southern Ukrainian city is a failure -- instead calling it a "redeployment".
But the Institute for the Study of War says Ukraine now holds the initiative and is "in the process of securing a major victory in the region and in Kherson city".
Read more analysis and watch our correspondent Sasha Vakulina's explainer video here:
Kremlin claims Kherson still 'a Russian subject'
Moscow still considers the entire Kherson region, including its capital, to be part of Russia despite the withdrawal of the Russian army, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Kherson and three other Ukrainian regions were declared to belong to Russia after local "referendums" were held in September – votes that were denounced by Kyiv and Western governments as illegal and coercive.
The Kherson region "is a subject of the Russian Federation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "There can be no change."
Read more in our overview of today's top developments from the Ukraine war here:
In Kherson outskirts, residents destroy pro-Russian placards
In earlier footage verified by Euronews, a group of residents were filmed taking down a pro-Russian poster in a neighbourhood outside of Kherson.
The small crowd brought a ladder to a billboard and tore away a large image of a child holding a Russian flag, with the slogan "Russia is here forever" at the top of the billboard.
Kremlin-installed deputy head of Kherson region buried in Crimea
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-installed administration of the Russian-occupied Kherson region, was buried in Simferopol in Crimea on Friday.
The memorial service was held at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Stremousov's boss Vladimir Saldo stated on Wednesday that his No. 2 was "killed in a car crash".
Russian President Vladimir Putin posthumously granted Stremousov the Order of Courage, a prestigious state award, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday.
Russian authorities claim 'all servicemen' left Kherson as Kyiv says some are trying to blend in with locals
Some of the Russian soldiers remaining in Kherson on Friday are said to have been throwing away their uniforms and donning civilian clothing in an attempt to blend in with the residents, according to Kyiv authorities.
"We understand that some part of the Russians stayed, changed clothes, and could not cross over, and they are now scattered around the city of Kherson and on the right bank of Dnipro. The number of these people is not yet precise," Serhii Khlan, Deputy of the Kherson Regional Council said.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry called on all remaining Moscow troops to surrender, vowing fair treatment according to the Geneva Convention.
Their Russian counterparts, however, claim that no units were left in the city of Kherson following their withdrawal.
"The transfer of Russian troop units to the left bank of the Dnipro river has been completed," the defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.
It said the withdrawal was done by 5 am Moscow time (3 am CET).
"Not a single unit of military equipment or weapons have been left on the right (western) bank. All Russian servicemen crossed to the left bank," it added.
Russia, it said, had not suffered any loss of personnel or equipment during the withdrawal.
Key bridge between Kherson and Russian-controlled eastern bank of Dnipro destroyed
The Antonivskiy bridge, the only nearby road crossing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro River, has been destroyed, Ukraine's public broadcaster quoted local residents as saying on Friday.
The Suspilne broadcaster published a photograph showing whole sections of the bridge missing. Other footage, including that published by the advisor to Ukraine's interior minister Anton Geraschenko, showed the damage to the bridge as well as the pontoon bridge set up next to it.
The next road crossing across the Dnipro is more than 70 kilometres from the city of Kherson.
Russian forces have not taken the responsibility for the bridge's destruction.
Russian army 'blew up everything' while retreating from Kherson, authorities say
Kherson’s Ukrainian-appointed regional official, Serhii Khlan, said that Moscow troops had left wreckage in their wake during their withdrawal from Kherson, destroying key infrastructure, including power facilities and bridges.
”It will all have to be reconstructed,” he said Friday at a video briefing. “While fleeing, they were blowing up everything, everything that could deter the (Ukrainian) advance.”
Khlan advised civilians to stay home and said the humanitarian situation was complicated, with power supplies cut off and very limited communications.
No comment from Moscow on Ukrainian liberation of Kherson
The Kremlin refused to make any comments about the Russian military leadership's decision to leave Kherson, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
"I have nothing to add, and nothing to say on this topic. I call on you to address the Defence Ministry for any additional comments," Peskov told reporters on Friday, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
Earlier, Moscow troops were said to have completely withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro River, the Russian Defence Ministry stated.
The withdrawal came after Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the Russian army to retreat on Wednesday.
Ukrainian authorities urge remaining Russian troops in Kherson to surrender
Ukraine's defence ministry has appealed to Russian soldiers remaining in Kherson to lay down their arms and turn themselves in after declaring that the city is returning to Ukrainian control.
"Your commanders have abandoned you to your fate ... urging you to change into civilian clothes and try to flee Kherson on your own. Obviously, you will not succeed," the ministry said in a Facebook post.
"If you surrender voluntarily, Ukraine guarantees your life and safety."
Residents of Kherson greet Ukrainian army in city centre
As the news of the Ukrainian army entering the city of Kherson broke on Friday afternoon, footage was shared on social media showing dozens of Ukrainian citizens coming out to the main square to greet the soldiers.
The residents of Kherson cheered the soldiers, chanting "Glory to ZSU (Ukrainian armed forces)".
Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that was occupied by the Moscow forces in the full-scale invasion in late February.