'Brutal battles' in Donetsk as stabilization measures in Kherson continue: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that brutal battles are taking place every day in the Donetsk region, adding the defenders are holding firm.

Zelensky also said that Kyiv's forces have established control in more than 60 settlements in the Kherson region and said the stabilization measures are being carried out in Kherson itself.

Jubilant residents welcomed troops arriving in the center of Kherson on Friday after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since the start of the war.

"Before fleeing from Kherson, the occupiers destroyed all the critical infrastructure: communications, water, heat, electricity," Zelensky said in a video address.

"(Russians) everywhere have the same goal: to humiliate people as much as possible. But we will restore everything, believe me," he continued.

"Police have launched stabilization measures. Stabilization measures are also underway in Kherson," he said, noting that almost 2,000 mines, trip-wires and unexploded shells had been dealt with so far.

Ukraine was able to conduct successful operations in Kherson and elsewhere in part because of resistance in the Donetsk region in the face of repeated Russian attacks, he said.

"There it is just hell - there are extremely fierce battles there every day," he said. "But our units are defending bravely - they are withstanding the terrible pressure of the invaders, preserving our defense lines."