Russia Tells Citizens To Evacuate From Kherson In Ukraine

The Russian-installed governor of the southern Kherson region has suggested that residents leave for Russian regions. He has advised that the resident take their children. As per Russia’s TASS news agency, the first group of civilians escaping from Kherson will arrive in Russia’s Rostov region by Friday.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year. After initial months of gaining territory, the Russian forces had to retreat in the face of a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian forces have recaptured swathes of territory including those Russia claimed were annexed and would remain Russian ‘forever’.

“Every day, the cities of Kherson region are subjected to missile attacks,” Russian-installed Kherson administration chief Vladimir Saldo said in a video message.

“As such, the leadership of the Kherson administration has decided to provide Kherson families with the option to travel to other regions of the Russian Federation to rest and study,” he said.

“We suggested that all residents of the Kherson region if they wish, to protect themselves from the consequences of missile strikes, … go to other regions,” he said. People should “leave with their children”.

The prompt to go applied foremost to residents on the west bank of the Dnipro River, he said. That includes the regional capital, the only major Ukrainian city Russia has captured intact since invading in February.

Russia has claimed that it has annexed the Kherson region. The region is strategically important. It controls the land route to Crimea as well as the mouth of the Dnipro river. Russia has annexed Crimea in 2014.

Since the start of October, Ukrainian forces have burst through Russia’s front lines there in their biggest advance in the south since the war began. They have since been advancing rapidly along the west bank, aiming to cut off thousands of Russian troops from supply lines and potential escape routes across it.

Russia has concentrated many of its best-trained troops to defend its grip on Kherson’s west bank. But that force can only be supplied across the river, which is several kilometers wide and has few crossings.