Ukrainians celebrating with flags in Kherson, Ukraine MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that it finished pulling out its troops from the western bank of the river that divides Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, including the only provincial capital that Moscow had captured since invading the neighboring country. In a statement carried out by Russian state news agencies, the ministry said the withdrawal was completed at 5 a.m. on Friday, and not a single unit of military equipment was left behind. The retreat nonetheless marks another huge setback for Russia in its 8 1/2-month war in Ukraine.