Power restored in Ukrainian city of Kherson, senior presidential aide says

"First we are supplying power to the city's critical infrastructure and then immediately to household consumers," says Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration.

 Drivers stand in line to buy petrol after Russia's retreat Kherson, Ukraine November 17, 2022. (photo credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)
Drivers stand in line to buy petrol after Russia's retreat Kherson, Ukraine November 17, 2022.
(photo credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)

Electricity has been restored in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after its liberation earlier this month from Russian occupation, a senior presidential aide said on Saturday.

"First we are supplying power to the city's critical infrastructure and then immediately to household consumers," Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The city had been without electricity, central heating and running water when Ukrainian forces reclaimed it on Nov. 11.

The Russian retreat

Russian troops seized Kherson shortly after Moscow's February 24 invasion and it was the only regional capital they had managed to capture.

 Ukrainian musician Kolya Serga (nor pictured) plays to a crowd holding up the lights on their cell phones in Kherson's central Freedom Square, in Kherson, Ukraine, November 18, 2022. (credit: Ed Ram/Pool via REUTERS)
Ukrainian musician Kolya Serga (nor pictured) plays to a crowd holding up the lights on their cell phones in Kherson's central Freedom Square, in Kherson, Ukraine, November 18, 2022. (credit: Ed Ram/Pool via REUTERS)

Their retreat marked a significant setback for Moscow but Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are still shelling the city from across the Dnipro River.

The head of the local administration said on Friday that 15 people had been killed and 35 wounded in the past six days.