"Civilians were almost invisible, as if the city had died out, the snow with wind and rain emphasised the gloom." But Filatyev's column encountered no resistance, and by 17:30 had reached the seaport. Kherson had fallen to the Russians.
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Témoignage d’une ville en guerre sous les tirs
40/ After a freezing night, the column continued into the city centre on the morning of 1 March. Heavy gunfire and explosions could be heard. "The city was grey, with the smell of gunpowder everywhere, gunfire and explosions, something was burning, somewhere was smoky …
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Filatyev claims good treatment of prisoners, fate unknown
39/ Filatyev insists that his unit treated the prisoners well: "I can't speak for the rest of the army, but I didn't see anyone get beaten up, much less raped." But it's not clear what became of them afterwards.
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Civil arrests and tensions in Ukraine
The Russians began arresting civilians. Filatyev caught a man who "smells like diesel" after reeds near their positions burst into flames. Across a dried-up river, he could hear shouts of "Glory to Ukraine." He saw a young girl near his position and inspected her smartphone.
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Assigned to capture the seaport at night?
34/ "I find out that from different directions, the rest of the troops from our 7th division, our Parachute Battalion, each unit has its own direction and point that needs to be taken, we're assigned the seaport. Are we really going to be ordered to enter the city at night?"
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Kherson attack and meeting Chechen fighters
On 28 February, orders came to attack Kherson and seize its port on the southern side. The column advanced slowly into the city. Along the way, Filatyev passed Tigr high-mobility vehicles—'seemingly with Kadyrov's men [from Chechnya],' they exchanged greetings with a wave of the hand.
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Looting, bypassing city, and firefight at Kherson Airport
29/ Men jumped out of their vehicles to loot roadside shops, grabbing cigarettes, crisps and soda. Filatyev's unit was ordered to bypass the city centre and seize Kherson Airport, to the northwest of the city. After they had set up an HQ there, a firefight started on the runway.
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Filatyev tries to avoid friendly fire, crosses Antonivskyi Bridge
26/ He tried to "find a position to avoid being shot at by my own people" but gave up when he realised that it was "almost impossible". In the late afternoon, the column set off again and crossed the Antonivskyi Bridge to Kherson. Filatyev began to see the signs of recent battle.
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Disorganized Tank Column Defenses Against Expected Ukrainian Attack
25/ No attack came. After another cold night, a tank column from the 33rd motorized rifle regiment arrived at Filatyev's position. The defenses had been arranged so haphazardly that "if [the Ukrainians] reached us and drove past, half of us would shoot each other…"
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Ukrainian GRAD MLRS launchers spotted, column retreats and sets defensive positions
24/ Suddenly, Ukrainian GRAD MLRS launchers were reportedly spotted ahead. The column abruptly turned around and drove back the way it came at maximum speed, stopping in a forest to set up defensive positions. Filatyev's unit brought several Ukrainian prisoners with it.