«Russia is here for never»

This is a story about how people of Kherson tore down and burned Russian propaganda.

Russian propagandists immediately followed the Russian troops into Kherson. Russians spared no money for propaganda – they shot TV reports with imported actors who played "grateful people of Kherson", put up billboards about Kherson's Russian history. The billboard "Russia is here forever" infuriated locals the most.

Inna from Kherson says:

"These were the most difficult days when they came to shoot their films. For example, they made a film about their celebration of the Russian flag day. There were a lot of imported people, crowd of extras, some artists. Music, Russian songs. It was very difficult to see their flags everywhere, and billboards with the words "Kherson is Russia".

Inna remembers the Liberation Day in details:

"On November 11, we were without any communication for the fifth day. And then a man comes from the market and says:

​

- Inna, our flag hangs on the monument.

I couldn't believe it, I said: "I want to see it with my own eyes!"

And he answered: "Tomorrow you can go to the center and take a look."

But I didn't want to wait for tomorrow. I went out wearing what was on, in house slippers. I go there, and the first thing I saw was a pile of ashes on the square. It was our local teenagers who tore down the billboard with the words "Russia forever" and burned it. And this trash is lying peeled and burned. And I just stand there and cry. I couldn't believe it.

I returned home and said to my husband:

- Sasha, the air is so light, you can breathe easily!

​