Russia-installed officials of occupied Kherson are urging its residents to leave the city today and evacuate to the left bank of the Dnipro River. A message for city residents was published on the Kherson city “administration” Telegram channel.
“Due to the tense situation on the front line, the increased threat of mass attacks on the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and evacuate to the left bank of the Dnipro!” the message says.
It is planned that the residents of Kherson will evacuate to the town of Oleshky on the left bank of the Dnipro.
According to Strana.ua news outlet, many local residents “do not plan on going anywhere, as they expect that the Russians will withdraw without a fight soon and that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will return”. However, some of the residents, not just those with a pro-Russian stance, choose to evacuate to the left bank anyway, fearing street fighting, bombing of the Kakhovka Reservoir dam and the subsequent flooding of the city.
A traffic jam appeared in the area of the crossing near the Antonivka Bridge with civilians wishing to drive to the left bank, Strana.ua reports.
On 19 October, the occupation “government” of the Kherson region reported that Ukraine’s offensive in the region had begun. Entry of civilians to Kherson from the left bank was suspended for seven days.
On 22 October, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated that the withdrawal of Russian forces from western Kherson region of Ukraine had begun. Russian forces are “quite actively” transferring ammunition, military equipment, and some unspecified units from the Dnipro River’s west bank to the east bank via ferries, the ISW notes.
