Russia's defense minister ordered troops to pull back from the city of Kherson and the west bank of the Dnipro river.
Ukraine has been fighting to take the area and Russia was under threat from flooding and a potential attack on a dam further up the river.
There had been signs that Russia was shoring up defenses on the east side of the river in preparation for a withdrawal. This is a major victory for Ukraine and will make it much tougher for Russia to push west from the Dnipro.
There are some in Ukraine who think this is a ruse before a counter-attack and Russia destroying the dam.
