Kiev has urged residents of eastern Ukraine to leave the region due to fears of a major Russian offensive.
Regional authorities “ask the population to leave these areas and are doing everything possible to ensure that evacuations are organized,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram yesterday, according to the Integration Ministry. It has to happen “now”, otherwise you run the risk of people dying.
The Ukrainian government is assuming a major attack is imminent in the south and east of the country. The Ukrainian armed forces are currently preparing for this on one of the most important front lines in Donbass, eastern Ukraine. “We know that the Russians are getting stronger and preparing for an attack,” one official said, referring in particular to the increase in Russian helicopter flights.