Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Sunday urged civilians in the Russianheld southern Kherson region to urgently evacuate the area as Ukrainian forces prepare a counterattack there.
Ukraine lost control of most of the Black Sea region of Kherson, including the eponymous capital, in the first few weeks after Russia’s February 24 invasion.
“It’s clear there will be fighting, there will be artillery shelling… and that’s why we’re pushing for that [as pessoas] evacuate [a área] urgently,” Vereshchuk said on national television.
She said she could not say exactly when the counteroffensive would take place.
“I know for a fact that women and children shouldn’t be there and they shouldn’t become human shields,” she said.
Russiabased Kherson officials say they want to hold a referendum on secession from Russia but have yet to set a date. The Kremlin says the region’s future must be determined by its residents.
The Kherson region includes the city of Kherson, which had almost 300,000 inhabitants before the war. It is not known how many townspeople are still there.
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