Ukraine’s military on Thursday tightened the noose around Russian forces occupying the southern city of Kherson.
Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-backed administration in Kherson, claimed that Ukraine had launched an offensive against Novaya Kamianka and Berislav in the Kherson region.
Although Ukraine remained tight-lipped about its operations, its military said in an early Thursday update on the Kherson region that 43 Russian soldiers had been killed and six tanks and other equipment destroyed.
Footage of people fleeing by boat across the Dnipro River was broadcast by Russian state television, which portrayed the exodus as an attempt to evacuate civilians before it turned into a combat zone.
Around 50,000 to 60,000 people will be moved in the next six days, said Vladimir Saldo, the head of Russian-installed Kherson, although he maintained that Russia had the resources to hold the city and even strike back if was necessary