LONDON - Moscow’s “strategic failure” in the city of Kherson will sow doubt among the Russian public about the point of the war in Ukraine, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Saturday.

Kherson was the first major urban hub to fall after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb 24.

“Russia’s announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them. In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson,” Mr Wallace said in a statement.

“Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves: ‘What was it all for?‘“

The United States hailed Ukraine’s recapture of the Black Sea port city as an “extraordinary victory”, as liberated residents sang the Ukrainian national anthem in Kherson’s main square.

With Russia pulling its forces out of Kherson to defensive positions on the east bank of the Dnipro river, Mr Wallace said the invasion had “only achieved international isolationism and humiliation”.

“The UK and the international community will continue to support them (Ukraine), and while the withdrawal is welcome, no one is going to underestimate the continuing threat posed by the Russian Federation.” AFP