Ukraine tells residents to leave occupied south due to counter-attack plans

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister on Sunday (10 July) urged Kherson civilians to evacuate the Russian-occupied south region. The reason was that Ukraine's armed forces were preparing a counterattack.

In the first weeks following Russia's 24 February invasion, Ukraine lost control over most of the Black Sea region, including its capital.

"It is clear that there will be fighting... there will also be artillery bombardment... we therefore urge people to evacuate immediately," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on national television.

She stated that she couldn't predict when the counter-offensive would take place.

She said: "I am certain that there shouldn't be children or women there and that they should not be used as human shields."

The Russian-installed authorities in Kherson say they would like to hold a referendum about Russia's secession, but have not set a date. According to the Kremlin, the future of the region should rest with its citizens.

Kherson is a region that includes Kherson. It was home to nearly 300,000. It is unknown how many people are still living in the city.

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