Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly endorsed the evacuation of civilians from parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, amid conflicting reports of a curfew being imposed in the Russian-controlled area. “Now, of course, those who live in Kherson should be removed from the zone of the most dangerous actions, because the civilian population should not suffer,” Putin told pro-Kremlin activists. Russia could be preparing to abandon its military foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River, including Kherson’s regional capital, in what would be one of the biggest Russian retreats of the war. Kherson, a city with a population of about 284,000 people before the conflict, is the only big city Russia has captured intact since its invasion in February. The surrounding province controls land access to Russian-occupied Crimea and securing it was one of the few successes of an otherwise disastrous Russian campaign.

Ukraine said the evacuations include the forced relocation of civilians, a war crime, which Moscow denies. Ukraine has been wary of blatant signs of a Russian defeat, including pictures circulating on the internet showing Russia’s flag no longer flying atop the main administration building in Kherson city, saying these signs could be a trap.Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed occupation administration in Kherson, said on Thursday that Russia was likely to pull its troops from the west bank. In later remarks, he was more equivocal, saying he hoped there would be no retreat but “we have to take some very difficult decisions”.“In the city of Kherson there are absolutely no restrictions that would limit the life of the city,” Stremousov said on Telegram after an earlier message announcing a curfew on the same channel was edited out.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP