The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson has seen a wave of protests today (March 5) as Russian troops advance into the region.
It comes as President Putin's invasion reaches its 10th day with a temporary ceasefire announced in the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, which have both seen frequent bombing.
Videos of the protests posted on media appear to show large groups of residents waving Ukrainian flags and chanting "Kherson is Ukraine".
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Kherson was seized by Russian troops on Wednesday night and has since been subjected to intense bombing.
Mayor Igor Kolykhaev said Russian troops forced their way into the city council building and attempted to impose a curfew on residents while pledging not to shoot any civilians.
Despite claims from Russian troops that they will not shoot civilians, a video posted on social media shows soldiers firing in the air in an attempt to intimidate and disperse the protesters.
But residents seem unphased with one man being filmed climbing directly on a Russian tank vehicle and waving the Ukrainian flag.
Kherson is a port city and holds great strategic value for Moscow, with experts suggesting Russian troops are attempting to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and international shipping.
Seizing the port also allows Russia to build a land corridor stretching from its border through Russian-occupied Crimea, and to open up naval advances from Russian ships in the Black Sea which have been increasing their pressure in the past few days.
Michael Clarke of the Royal United Services Institute said Russian forces were attempting to build forces across the south in order to push forward north to the capital of Kyiv.
"Kherson is very important because it is the city that controls the water supply to the Crimea," he said.
“It’s also the city that’s key to crossing the Dnieper River. And at some point, the Russians will want to be on both sides of the river to move up and join up with their northern front.
"Kherson is a big gain for [the Russians]. It’s taken them a while but they are here now.”
It comes as a ceasefire had been put into place today for two areas - the strategic port of Mariupol in the south-east and the eastern town of Volnovakha - to allow civilians to evacuate.
However, Mariupol's deputy mayor says the planned evacuation of civilians has been postponed as Russian troops continue to fire on the city.
The city council said the move is due to "the fact that the Russian side does not adhere to the regime of silence and continued shelling of both Mariupol itself" and the surrounding area.
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