Ukraine urges residents to leave southern country over counterattack plans
1 min read
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk on Sunday urged civilians in the Russian-occupied southern Kherson region to urgently evacuate the area as Ukraine’s armed forces prepare for a counterattack there.
Ukraine lost control of most of the Kherson region on the Black Sea, including its capital of the same name, in the first weeks after the Russian invasion on February 24.
“It is clear that there will be fighting and there will be artillery bombardment.. That is why we urge [as pessoas] to evacuate [a área] Urgently, Vereshock said on national television.
She said she could not say exactly when the counterattack would take place.
“I know for sure that there should be no women and children, and they should not become human shields,” she said.
Kherson officials in Russia say they want to hold a referendum on secession from Russia, but they have not set a date yet. The Kremlin says the region’s future must be decided by its residents.
Kherson region includes the city of Kherson, which before the war had a population of about 300 thousand. It is not known how many townspeople are still there.
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