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MOSCOW and KYIV – Russia-backed authorities began an evacuation of civilians from the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson Wednesday — in a sign that Moscow’s hold over the territory looks increasingly in jeopardy amid a surging Ukrainian counteroffensive.
In a video address, Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlin-installed administrator, called on residents from districts surrounding the regional capital of Kherson to evacuate across the Dnipro river — a key defense line — as Ukrainian forces continue to gain ground in Ukraine’s south.
Saldo offered residents the option of relocating to cities “in any part of Russia,” and said the Russian government would provide housing vouchers to those who wished to move further from the fighting.
“Let the Russian army do its job,” he said.
Others within his administration were less measured.
Kirill Stremousov, Saldo’s Moscow-appointed deputy, urged residents to evacuate “as quickly as possible” — saying the battle for Kherson “would soon begin.”
“We will not surrender the city, and we will fight to the end,” he said, adding that residents whose homes might be damaged from shelling could receive compensation from the Russian government.
