As Russian-installed authorities urge civilians to evacuate Kherson, Moscow is strengthening its forces there in preparation for battle
Russian forces are digging in for the “heaviest of battles” in the strategic southern region of Kherson, a senior Ukrainian official said, as the Kremlin prepares to defend the largest city under its control in Ukraine.
“With Kherson, everything is clear. The Russians are replenishing, strengthening their grouping there,” Arestovych said in an online video late on Tuesday. Of the four provinces Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed annexed in September, Kherson is arguably the most strategically important. It controls both the only land route to the Crimea peninsula Russia seized in 2014 and the mouth of the Dnipro, the vast river that bisects Ukraine.Yuri Sobolevsky, a member of the ousted pro-Ukrainian Kherson regional council, said Russia-installed authorities were putting increasing pressure on Kherson residents to leave the city and head towards Russia.
“You fall asleep at night and you don’t know if you will wake up,” said Mikola Nizinets, 39, referring to Russian shelling.