The UK government previously said it had seen no suspicious activity that might be a precursor to the deployment of a tactical nuclear weapon.Ī UK defence source sought to quell the speculation, saying the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the state of the war more generally. “Reality can hurt if you live in a fictional fantasy world,” wrote Mykhailo Podolyak.īen Wallace, the UK defence secretary, rushed to Washington at short notice on Tuesday for urgent consultations, prompting conjecture he was having discussions about nuclear threats made by Russia. Since then Ukraine’s advance has meant none of the provinces are under full Russian control.Ī Ukrainian presidential adviser noted that only a month after the “pompous announcement of Kherson annexation” the city was being “ceremoniously evacuated in anticipation of justice”. Kherson is the capital of one of the four provinces Russia claimed to annex amid much fanfare after sham referendums last month. The warnings are an attempt to avoid a repeat of the situation in Kharkiv province, where the Russian military was criticised for its chaotic retreat, in many cases leaving behind local Ukrainians who had collaborated with the occupation governments. “The civilian population is advised, if possible, to leave the area of the upcoming fierce hostilities.” “The battle for Kherson will begin in the very near future,” said Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy administrator in Kherson. Occupation officials have warned of a coming Ukrainian counteroffensive in the area. Russian forces appeared to have resumed aerial attacks on Kyiv on Wednesday, with local people reporting explosions from anti-air defence systems in the skies over the Ukrainian capital. “There is no place for civilians where the military is operating,” he wrote. Saldo said the movement of civilians would be tied to a decision “to build sizeable defensive fortifications to repulse any attack”. I do not exclude the adoption of the most difficult decisions.” “We will act consciously, in a timely manner. “I repeat: is already very difficult today,” he said. Russia’s army would remain in Kherson, its leadership said, although the head of its invasion force, Gen Sergei Surovikin, hinted in an interview that his forces may be forced to retreat. Russian officials have promised to help them buy property in mainland Russia, suggesting they were not planning for a return of civilians to the city in the foreseeable future. Russian television footage showed hundreds of people gathered at the port on Wednesday morning waiting to be removed. “Its purpose is to create a kind of panic in Kherson and a propaganda picture,” Sergiy Khlan, a deputy head of the Kherson region, said. “Ukrainian army does not destroy Ukrainian cities and villages.”Īnother Ukrainian official compared the announced evacuation of civilians to “deportations as in Soviet times”. Do not allow the evil empire to hide behind you, your parents, your children,” he said in a post on his Telegram channel. They want to take our people hostage and use them as human shields. “People of Kherson, I urge you to ignore everything the occupiers tell you or demand from you. We are staying put.”Ī Ukrainian official, Yaroslav Yanushevich, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, told people not to comply with the evacuation request. I don’t believe Ukraine is going to bomb us. “They are trying to sow panic but we aren’t buying it. “I am not planning to go anywhere,” one local resident, Svetlana, said. Workers such as teachers and doctors were also being told to leave. A number have reported receiving mass text messages warning the city would be shelled and informing them that buses would be leaving from the port from 7am. People would not be allowed to enter Kherson province for seven days, they added. Officials said the plan was to remove civilians and the occupying authorities from the city. Kherson, the second-largest population centre in Ukraine captured by Russia during the war, is on the Dnieper’s west bank. Yet the mass removal of civilians would set the stage for just that.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |