The mayor of Kherson in Ukraine, Ihor Kolykhaiev, has stated that the Ukrainian military is no longer in the city and that its residents must now obey instructions from “armed men who come to the city administration”, indicating that the city has fallen under Russian control. .

The announcement on his Facebook page comes after days of pressure on Kherson by Russian troops, who have surrounded the city.

Kherson is a city of strategic importance located at the inlet of the Black Sea, with a population of nearly 300,000 inhabitants. In Kyiv on Wednesday, the mayor had disputed Russia’s claims of the takeover, saying Ukrainian troops were still fighting in parts of the city. New publications claim that Ukrainian troops have left.

The mayor also told The New York Times in an interview that a group of about 10 armed Russian officers, including the commander of the forces that attacked the city, entered the city hall building on Wednesday.

Late Wednesday, Hennady Lahuta, head of the Kherson county government, issued a message saying: “I urge everyone who is not at home now, or planning to leave, not to do so. Residents are in all areas of the city and they are very dangerous.

Without explicitly saying that Russia controlled the city, Mayor Kolykhaiev said late Wednesday that “there was an armed visitor on the city’s executive committee today.”

Without explicitly saying that Russia controlled the city, Mayor Kolykhaiev said late Wednesday that “there was an armed visitor on the city’s executive committee today.”

“Tim and I are peaceful people, we have no weapons, no aggression from our side,” he said.

“I don’t make any promises to them. I don’t have any promises. I’m just interested in the normal life of our city. I’m just asking that people don’t get shot,” he added.

In his Facebook post, he went on to say: “We have no Armed Forces in the city, only civilians and people who want to STAY here!”

Kolykhaiev said that there are now new rules in the city, including a curfew and restrictions on transportation in and out of the city.

He said another rule was that “pedestrians walk one at a time, a maximum of two. Don’t provoke the military.”

He finished: “Leave it for now. The flag above us is Ukraine. And in order to stay the same, these conditions must be met. I can’t offer anything else.”