- The pro-Russian authorities expect to evacuate more than 50,000 civilians to the right bank of the Dnieper River.
 |
| A Russian soldier launches an anti-tank rocket in Kherson, Ukraine. |
Russia begins to evacuate civilians in Kherson before the offensive of the Ukrainian army
The pro-Russian authorities of the Ukrainian region of Kherson, one of the four illegally annexed by Russia, have begun this Wednesday to evacuate civilians before the beginning of an offensive by the Ukrainian army.
"In the port of Kherson, the transfer of residents from the left bank to the right bank of the Dnieper has begun. Ferries have been set up that transfer people from Kherson to Alyoshki and Gola Pristan. A temporary settlement center will be created there for the evacuees before being transferred based on the wishes of each one", have indicated the authorities of the region.
Moscow's objective is to abandon the left bank of the Dnieper, including the city of Kherson, and to establish a stronghold on the other side of the river to make it a natural border between its army and the Ukrainian one. In fact, the Russian administration of the region has already moved from the regional capital to the town of Alyoshki, located on the eastern bank.
"Ukrainian Nazis went on the offensive. They can bombard the left bank of the Kherson region, therefore we ask civilians to cross over to the right bank to avoid civilian casualties," said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the pro-Russian administration. on his Telegram channel.
For his part, the acting governor of the region, Vladimir Saldo, has assured that he expects the number of evacuees to range between 50,000 and 60,000 civilians. In addition, he has pointed out that the entry of civilians into the region is prohibited for seven days, with the exception of isolated cases.
From the Ukrainian ranks, Nicolaiev's governor, Vitali Kim, has instead accused the Russian troops of preparing to bomb the city of Kherson themselves after their withdrawal. In this sense, he has assured that it is the occupying forces who have begun to prepare the area for future combat.
Andriy Yermak, President Zelensky's chief of staff, has called the Russian evacuation a "propaganda show" from the Kremlin. "The Russians are trying to scare the people of Kherson with fake news about the bombing of the city by our army," he said on Telegram.
Ukrainian forces have liberated 75 towns in the north and northeast of Kherson province, covering more than 1,200 square kilometers, in recent weeks, according to recent data from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
223 kamikaze drones shot down
After two consecutive days of Iranian air strikes with missiles and drones in Kyiv and other large Ukrainian cities, emergency teams continue to work this Wednesday among the rubble of the attacked buildings, as well as trying to rebuild the damaged energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Wednesday that they have shot down a total of 223 Iranian-made Shahed-136 suicide drones in the last 36 days. They also pointed out that the first drone of these characteristics intercepted in Ukraine occurred on September 13.
Tags:
World