“Hands in the air! Documents out!” yelled a Ukrainian police officer as he pointed his gun at two suspected collaborators moments after their boat moored near the city of Kherson, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The jubilation of Kherson's freedom in November proved fleeting. Authorities are hunting down collaborators who supported Moscow during the takeover of Kherson, just weeks after Russians fled from the southern Ukrainian city.
The two men detained at gunpoint came from an island on the Dnipro River, in the proverbial grey zone between the Ukrainian-controlled western bank and the Russian-occupied east bank.
"Only evacuations at the port are permitted." "It's illegal here," one of the cops told AFP.
"Officials in charge of 'stabilization measures' verify if people were involved" with the Russian occupants at the port, he added.
Since driving the Russians out, the river has become a crucial frontline in the fighting in southern Ukraine.
As the cops and suspected accomplices duck for cover, a salvo of rockets disrupts the impromptu interrogation.
After an eight-month occupation, Russia's troops withdrew from Kherson and its environs one month ago on Sunday, stirring joy across Ukraine. However, life in the southern city is still far from normal.
The fleeing Russians left a trail of ugliness in their wake, and their artillery continues to pound the city from new, dug-in positions across the Dnieper River. According to the regional government, shelling in Kherson over the previous month has killed 41 people, including a child, and hospitalised 96 others.
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The recapture of Kherson was a significant success for Ukraine and an embarrassment for the Kremlin, the latest in a series of defeats that have seen Kyiv take the initiative in the war. Even still, Kherson is far from calm, with checkpoints around the city and troops patrolling its streets, as per media reports.
Officers scrutinise identity papers, quiz citizens, and search cars across Kherson, attempting to find collaborators – some of whom they suspect are still sending information to their old masters.
The city's main police station, where detainees are allegedly tortured, is purportedly filled with explosives. When demining teams attempted to enter, part of the building detonated, therefore the project has been put on hold for the time being, according to a report by news agency PTI.
When assistance trucks arrived a month ago, war-weary and desperate locals came to Svoboda (Freedom) Square for food and supplies. However, since a Russian strike on the square in late November as a line of people waited to enter a bank, such big gatherings have become less common, and aid is distributed from smaller, more discrete distribution places.
Regional officials estimate that 80% of Kherson's pre-war population of roughly 320,000 left once the Russians swept there, a few days after their February 24 invasion began. With only 60,000-70,000 residents left, the city has taken on the appearance of a ghost town. Those who remain mostly stay indoors because they are wary of venturing out into the streets, as per a report by AP.
(With Inputs From Agencies)