As offensives, counter-offensives escalate in Kherson, Russia orders residents to leave immediately

The war-torn Kherson region, being controlled by two constituted authorities after the referendum, each representing Russia and Ukraine, respectively, has been a zone military offensive by Russian forces and counter-offensives by Ukrainian military.

As the offensives and counter-offensives escalate, Russian authorities have ordered  residents of southern Kherson region, ‘to leave the main city “immediately” to avert civilian casualties in the military bombardments.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had on Saturday said that  Russia fired 36 rockets overnight in a “massive attack” on Ukraine, including strikes on energy infrastructure that caused power outage across the country.

Kherson was the first city Russian forces captured in their military operations in Ukraine.

Russia was said to have been evacuating residents in the region, which became Russian territory in September, to Russia. Ukraine had protested that Russia has engaged in “deportations” of the country’s citizens.

Russian authorities in the region were cited to have  announced on social media that, “Due to the tense situation on the front, the increased danger of mass shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank” of the Dnipro river.”

A Russian-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, was cited to have said on Saturday that about 25,000 people had crossed the riverbank.

The deputy head of the Kherson region of Ukraine, Sergiy Khlan, was gathered to have said that ‘Russians were removing property and documents from banks and the passport office as they withdrew.’