Ukraine's Zelenskyy Visits Kherson to Celebrate Recapture from Russia
2022-11-15
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the southern city of Kherson Monday to celebrate its recent recapture from Russian forces.
2Walking the streets of the city, Zelenskyy met with soldiers and took pictures with citizens.
3"This is the beginning of the end of the war," he said.
4"We are step by step coming to all the temporarily occupied territories."
5Zelenskyy added, "We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace for all of our country."
6He admitted, however, that the town's recapture came at a heavy price.
7The fighting, he said, had taken "the best heroes of our country."
8Zelenskyy thanked NATO and other allies for their support and for providing military assistance.
9He said the arrival of movable rocket systems from the United States had made a big difference in Ukraine's war effort.
10The retaking of Kherson marks one of Ukraine's biggest successes in its war against Russia.
11Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February.
12But large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are still under Russian control.
13Even Kherson remains within reach of Russian shells and missiles.
14Heavy fighting was reported elsewhere in the country, with Ukraine reporting civilian deaths and injuries.
15Families gathered in Kherson's main square to celebrate Russia's withdrawal.
16Some stood in front of the main government building, which until recently was occupied by Russian forces.
17Many people carried Ukrainian flags, which had been banned in public under Russia's occupation.
18Yevhen Teliezhenko lives in Kherson with his family.
19He told The Associated Press he did not feel safe flying his Ukrainian flag outside his home while Russia controlled the city.
20But on Monday, the 73-year-old and his wife drove around the city flying the flag.
21The couple stopped to get Ukrainian soldiers who liberated the city to write their names on the flag.
22"They were fighting for us. We knew we were not alone," Teliezhenko said.
23His wife, 61-year-old Tetiana Hitina, added, "Finally freedom!"
24While the liberation of Kherson brought excitement and hope, the situation remains difficult.
25On Monday, the city had no power and water.
26Food and medicines were in short supply.
27Life is expected to be hard for weeks to come as winter arrives and energy supplies for heat are limited.
28Kherson was the only provincial capital that was captured by Russia.
29Russia seized the city in the first weeks of the invasion.
30It was an important gain for Russia because the city is situated in a strategic position on the Dnieper River.
31The Dnieper's wide waters now separate Ukrainian troops from the city's former occupiers.
32Russia withdrew from the city last week after facing repeated attacks from Ukrainian forces.
33I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the southern city of Kherson Monday to celebrate its recent recapture from Russian forces. 2Walking the streets of the city, Zelenskyy met with soldiers and took pictures with citizens. "This is the beginning of the end of the war," he said. "We are step by step coming to all the temporarily occupied territories." 3Zelenskyy added, "We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace for all of our country." 4He admitted, however, that the town's recapture came at a heavy price. The fighting, he said, had taken "the best heroes of our country." 5Zelenskyy thanked NATO and other allies for their support and for providing military assistance. He said the arrival of movable rocket systems from the United States had made a big difference in Ukraine's war effort. 6The retaking of Kherson marks one of Ukraine's biggest successes in its war against Russia. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February. 7But large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are still under Russian control. Even Kherson remains within reach of Russian shells and missiles. Heavy fighting was reported elsewhere in the country, with Ukraine reporting civilian deaths and injuries. 8Families gathered in Kherson's main square to celebrate Russia's withdrawal. Some stood in front of the main government building, which until recently was occupied by Russian forces. 9Many people carried Ukrainian flags, which had been banned in public under Russia's occupation. 10Yevhen Teliezhenko lives in Kherson with his family. He told The Associated Press he did not feel safe flying his Ukrainian flag outside his home while Russia controlled the city. But on Monday, the 73-year-old and his wife drove around the city flying the flag. 11The couple stopped to get Ukrainian soldiers who liberated the city to write their names on the flag. "They were fighting for us. We knew we were not alone," Teliezhenko said. 12His wife, 61-year-old Tetiana Hitina, added, "Finally freedom!" 13While the liberation of Kherson brought excitement and hope, the situation remains difficult. On Monday, the city had no power and water. Food and medicines were in short supply. Life is expected to be hard for weeks to come as winter arrives and energy supplies for heat are limited. 14Kherson was the only provincial capital that was captured by Russia. Russia seized the city in the first weeks of the invasion. It was an important gain for Russia because the city is situated in a strategic position on the Dnieper River. 15The Dnieper's wide waters now separate Ukrainian troops from the city's former occupiers. Russia withdrew from the city last week after facing repeated attacks from Ukrainian forces. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press and Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 18_____________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20liberate - v. to help someone of something be free 21provincial - adj. relating to a province: one of the large areas some countries are divided into 22strategic - adj. helping to achieve a plan, usually in business of politics 23_________________________________________________________________ 24What do you think of this story? 25We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 26Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.