As Ukraine’s overmatched defense forces face desperate times on multiple fronts in their underdog effort to stave off a Russian invasion, Russia has taken control of its first major Ukrainian city.

Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev and a senior Ukrainian government official each confirmed the city’s fall after days of fighting, according to The New York Times.

Kolykhaev said Ukrainian forces retreated toward Mykolaiv. Kherson is a major port city on the southern coast of Ukraine.