Russian occupation officials in the southern city of Kherson encouraged residents to flee as Russian missiles struck Ukrainian energy and other installations on Saturday, according to Kyiv.
Russian strikes, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were "very wide" in scope. He promised that, with assistance from its allies, his military will strengthen an already strong track record of shooting down missiles.
Winter was coming, the war was about to enter its ninth month, and as Russia continued to strike Ukraine's power supply, the possibility of freezing agony loomed.
In Kherson, a target for Ukraine’s aggressive counterattack to the invasion Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on Feb. 24, the occupation authorities instructed civilians to get out.
“Due to the tense situation at the front, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the (east) bank of the Dnipro!” occupation authorities posted on Telegram.
Thousands of civilians have left Kherson after warnings of a Ukrainian offensive to recapture the city.
At Oleshky on the opposite bank of the Dnipro, Reuters saw people arriving by river boat from Kherson, loaded with boxes, bags and pets. One woman carried a toddler under one arm and a dog under the other.
“I really didn’t want to (leave), I’m still in work,” one resident said. “We wanted to stay here in the region, but now we don’t know.”
Ukraine’s military said it was making gains as its forces moved south through the region, taking over at least two villages it said Russian troops had abandoned. Kherson links Ukraine to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram: “Kherson region! Just a little bit more. Hang in there. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are at work.”
Reuters could not independently verify the accounts.