Russian-installed officials urged all residents in the southern city of Kherson to “leave immediately” on Saturday as Ukrainian troops continued to advance, a sign of Moscow’s shaky hold on the strategic city.
The pro-Moscow regional administration strongly urged civilians to use boats to cross the Dnipro River and move farther into Russian-held territory because of “the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks.”
Last week, the occupation authorities in Kherson said they were launching an operation to evacuate thousands of civilians to the river’s east bank. Kyiv has described the relocation effort as “a propaganda show” designed to scare civilians with claims that Ukraine would shell the city.
Kherson, which sits on the west bank of the river, was captured by Russia early in the eight-month-long war. It is a major industrial port city, the capital of the one of the four regions Russia has illegally annexed and the only major city west of the Dnipro that Moscow holds.
For weeks, Ukrainian forces have been inching toward Kherson, village by village, taking back parts of the region. They have also bombed the main road bridges close to the city, making it harder for Moscow to resupply its troops.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor, said this week, as he urged civilians to evacuate from the town, that Russian forces have been digging in and erecting “large-scale defensive” fortifications. The Ukrainian military also reported that up to 2,000 Russian reinforcements had been poured into the fight.
But there were also signs the Russians might be considering a tactical retreat across the Dnipro River. Vladyslav Nazarov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s southern operational command, said on Friday that Russia’s forces in Kherson were “quite actively transferring equipment, weapons and even units” to the eastern bank. That claim could not be independently verified.
Local pro-Russia officials have for days been sharing videos and photographs of civilians lining up to cross the mile-wide river in ferry boats. They said on Thursday that 15,000 civilians had already left.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research organization, noted on Saturday that Russian-backed officials had urged people who were leaving to bring clothes, valuables and documents, suggesting they did not expect a quick return. It said the Russians were probably trying to “depopulate” parts of the Kherson region that Ukraine would recapture, “damaging the long-term social and economic viability of southern Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian military general staff said in a statement on Saturday that there were reports of looting and car theft in Kherson as the people frantically tried to leave town.
Those claims also could not be independently verified, and there was no independent confirmation that a mass evacuation had been taking place.
