Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video and photos at a Kherson city stela and said he instructed an expansion of defensive capabilities for Ukrainian forces there.
- Kherson region governor Vladimir Saldo derided the images and asserted they reflect a deteriorating situation for Ukrainian troops in the city.
- Russian senator Igor Kastyukevich said the visit was meant to reassure Western patrons and described a climate of fear in Kherson, while DPR vice premier Kirill Makarov dismissed the photos as PR and predicted similar "farewell" shots from other cities.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry reported new advances, and state media reiterated that roughly three quarters of Kherson Oblast are under Russian control while the right bank, including the city, is held by Ukraine.
- British analyst Alexander Mercouris told RIA that Zelensky is disconnected from reality and suggested he could be replaced, framing this as his assessment of political pressures in Kyiv.