Ukraine temporarily opened river crossings outside the city of Kherson on Saturday to evacuate citizens from Russian-controlled territories where fighting is expected to escalate.
“The evacuation is necessary due to the possible intensification of hostilities in this area. Therefore, the ban on crossing the waters will be lifted,” regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said on Facebook on Saturday.
The ban was lifted until Monday, although Yanushevych warned that crossings will only be allowed during the day.
Residents wait for humanitarian aid in the Kherson city center on December 1, 2022, in Kherson, Ukraine.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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“During the evacuation, it is necessary to carry the documents confirming the identity and Ukrainian citizenship,” he added.
Authorities have not specified whether the evacuation is being carried out in coordination with Russia.
Ukrainian forces liberated the city of Kherson last month and pushed Russian troops across the Dnieper river, where Moscow maintains a foothold.
Ukrainian authorities reported continued shelling in and around Kherson following Russia’s withdrawal and Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy issued an ominous warning this week, saying Russia was planning “something” in the south.
Anatoly Sikoza, who buried the bodies, stands amid the rubble of a house where Russian forces killed seven men and one woman, with their hands tied, blindfolded and shot at point-blank range, before blowing up the site in a attempt to cover up murders in a village on the outskirts of Kherson on November 27, 2022, in Kherson, Ukraine.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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No details have been provided as to why kyiv believes hostilities will escalate in the area or what they suspect Russia is planning.
In a late-night speech, Zelenskyy said that despite the threat and constant shelling Kherson faces, “energy workers, builders, communications workers, repair crews, businesses, local leaders, [and] demining specialists” are working to get the city and region up and running again.
More than 200 explosives were discovered in the city this week and demining continues, Zelenskyy said.
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Eight people were killed in the house when an informant told Russian forces that civilians were passing information to Ukrainian military sources. The bodies were found with their hands tied, their eyes blindfolded and shot at point-blank range in the back of the head.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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“Every week there is more mobile communication coverage, more electricity and gas supply, more transportation opportunities,” he said, adding that access to medicine, schools and news broadcasts were also returning to the area.
kyiv has remained mum about its plans to make further progress in Kherson and Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Defense Ministry for comment.
