Russia claims it has taken control of major Ukrainian city

Russian troops have seized Kherson, a provincial capital in the southern coastal part of Ukraine, the Defense Ministry announced in a briefing on Wednesday. It also confirmed strikes on what it claimed to be part of Ukraine’s psyops infrastructure, including a TV tower in Kiev.

Kherson is a strategically important city, and a vital port on the Black Sea and on the Dneper River.

The ministry stated that civilian infrastructure in Kherson is operating normally, with no shortages of food or other items of necessity reported. It said the city’s government and Russian military were engaged in talks on how to ensure order and public safety in the area.

Russian forces in Ukraine had attacked more than 60 additional military locations, pushing the total number of destroyed elements of Ukrainian military infrastructure to over 1,500, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported.