Russia steps up preparations to evacuate civilians from Zaporizhia and Kherson, Ukrainian military says

The Ukrainian army general staff reported on Saturday that Russian-imposed authorities in the partially occupied provinces of Zaporizhia and Kherson in southern Ukraine are “intensifying preparations” to evacuate residents to the Crimean peninsula, in anticipation of a possible attack. They inform the population of the departure of buses to Crimea and control the Russian passports they issue since the official annexation of the regions last September.

In his last part on the war situation, posted on facebookthe General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine states that “in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhia and Kherson Oblasts, the Russian occupiers have intensified preparations to evacuate residents to the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”.

He explains that the Russian authorities have organized a “survey among the inhabitants of Melitopol (Zaporizhia) and Skadovsk (Kherson) on a possible evacuation”. He explains that the survey verifies the possession of a Russian passport, the place of residence and the level of education of the population, and that they are “informed” of the periodic departure of buses for those who want to evacuate the two cities to be transferred to Crimea. “The occupiers are spreading information that the forced evacuation of civilians will begin at the end of April,” the note concludes.

In recent days, war operations have intensified in the provinces of Zaporizhia and Kherson, with reciprocal attacks between Russian and Ukrainian troops. Last Friday, Ivan Fedorov, the legitimate mayor of Melitopol – the city is controlled by the Russians – who has good contacts in the city, reported that Ukrainian troops had attacked a building in the town of Vesele, near Melitopol, where Russian soldiers and equipment were concentrated, a sign that both sides are stepping up their presence in the two provinces in preparation for a possible Ukrainian counter-offensive this spring, which military analysts believe could have these regions as a main scenario, at least location of eastern provinces, Donetsk and Lugansk. According to these analysts, quoted by the New York Times, Ukrainian troops would try to recover Melitópol, as they did with the city of Kherson. Given this, the Russians are strengthening their defensive positions and laying mines, according to senior Ukrainian officials.