No Ukrainian armed personnel remains in the southern city of Kherson; its mayor claimed after Russian forces infiltrated the city's council building more than a week after Moscow launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine.

Igor Kolykhaev, the mayor of Kherson, issued a statement urging the Russian military not to shoot citizens after infiltrating the city administrative building.

"I simply requested that they refrain from shooting at people," Kolykhaev explained. "There are no Ukrainian forces in the city; there are only civilians and people here to LIVE."

His words came during days of fierce combat in Kherson, a strategic port city on the Dnieper River near the Black Sea with a population of 280,000. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ukraine had experienced 752 civilian casualties as of March 1, including 227 deaths and 525 injuries.

Russia's defense ministry claimed possession of Kherson as early as Wednesday morning. However, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian soldiers were still defending the city.

Kolykhaev stated late Wednesday that "armed visitors" had entered the city executive committee.

"My team and I are peaceful individuals—we lacked weapons and committed no acts of aggression," he stated in a statement.

"I made no guarantees to them... I just requested that they refrain from shooting people," the mayor wrote.

Kolykhaev did not say whether the city fell to Russian forces but stated he is considering "rebuilding the city" following the attacks. Additionally, Ukrainian officials have yet to confirm whether Russia has annexed the city.

"We have demonstrated that we are securing the city and attempting to eliminate the invasion's consequences," the mayor stated, saying that officials are encountering "enormous" issues delivering food and medicine, as well as collecting and burying the dead.

"I am only interested in the everyday life of our city!" he declared.

The mayor developed a list of six rules that citizens must follow to avoid "provoking" the Russian military.

He said that citizens might enter the city center only in the afternoon and must stick to a curfew of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., he said. Only cars carrying food and medicine will be permitted to enter the city, and public transportation will resume transporting certain workers.

The mayor advised locals to walk in groups of no more than two and avoid conflict with the Russian military. Automobiles must be driven slowly, and drivers must always be prepared to demonstrate what they are conveying.

"Thus far, everything has gone swimmingly. The Ukrainian flag flies above us. And in order to maintain the status quo, these prerequisites must be met," the mayor stated.

On February 24, the Russian military infiltrated the strategically positioned city on the first day of the Ukraine incursion. According to the Associated Press, if Moscow seizes Crimea, the Russian army might unblock a water canal and restore water supplies to the peninsula.