Russia forces were forcibly relocating civilians in the part of the Kherson region they still occupy, according to Ukrainian officials, a day after a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive reportedly began, with forces setting up a bridgehead on the east bank of the Dnipro River, The Guardian reported.
"I have information that the evacuation starts today [Sunday] with an excuse of protecting civilians from the consequences of heavy fighting in the area," said Oleksandr Samoylenko, the Ukrainian head of Kherson's regional council. He added that Russian troops were "trying to steal as much as they can" as they withdrew.
Another Ukrainian official in Kherson said Wagner fighters were assisting Russian occupation officials in controlling the civilian population on the east bank of the Dnipro.
Regarding reports of a possible offensive, the Ukrainian military asked for "patience," with a spokesman declaring that "the conditions of a military operation require silence until it is safe enough for our military," according to The Guardian.
But there are reports of an apparent increase in Ukrainian military activity in the south of the country.
The establishment of Ukrainian troop positions on the east bank of the Dnipro implies that Russia's defensive positions are weakening, according to a study by the Institute for Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, Business Insider reported.
An offensive on a large scale under the threat of Russian strikes would be a complicated and difficult operation.
Ukraine retook control of the city of Kherson from Russia in November 2022, but large parts of the greater Kherson region on the other side of the river are still occupied. South of the Kherson region is Crimea, which Moscow took over in 2014.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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