MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian authorities have imposed a 24-hour curfew in the Ukrainian city of Kherson – annexed by Moscow in late September – the region’s deputy governor said on Friday.
In a video message posted on Telegram, Russian-installed Deputy Governor Kirill Stremousov said the curfew was necessary ‘in order to defend our city of Kherson’ from what he called ‘terrorist attacks’ .
Kirill Stremousov also reiterated calls for residents on Thursday to evacuate areas on the west bank of the Dnieper, saying Ukrainian vehicles had been spotted in frontline areas and an attack was possible.
Earlier in the day, Vladimir Poutine, had announced that the civilians residing in the area should be evacuated of the zones of combat, according to remarks reported by the news agency RIA.
“Now, obviously, those who live in Kherson should be evacuated from the areas where the most dangerous actions are concentrated, because the civilian population should not suffer,” the Russian president said during a meeting with pro-Kremlin activists, according to RIA.
The Kherson region in southern Ukraine has been the subject of a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces for several weeks.
(Reuters report, edited by Guy Faulconbridge; French version Myriam Rivet, Alizée Degorce, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse, Sophie Louet, Kate Entringer)
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