Reports suggest Russian forces have taken Kherson central square

Pictures published online appear to show that the Russian army has taken over the city center of Kherson, a key southern Ukrainian city on the mouth of the Dnieper where battles have raged for days.

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A picture, which cannot be independently verified, shows Russian military vehicles surrounding the city’s Freedom Square.

Earlier reports out of Kherson, one of a number of Black Sea port cities to be targeted by in the early stages of the Kremlin’s offensive, indicated that Russian forces were in the city, setting off street battles there.

The city is home to a sizeable Jewish community.

Alexander Vainer, director of the Jewish care group Hesed’s branch in Kherson, spoke to ToI on Sunday, saying the situation there was “critical.”

“Everybody has been told to stay at home, close to the shelters,” he said. “The town seems to be dead, there’s nobody outside. The sirens go off all the time. There is no food in the shops and people have to survive on what was bought before.”

With reporting from Sue Surkes.