Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday announced the mandatory evacuation of residents of the country’s eastern Donetsk region amid heavy fighting in the ongoing war with Russia.
The president said: “The more people leave [the] Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have to kill.” He noted that those who leave will be compensated.
Zelensky also said in his speech that the hundreds of thousands of people still occupying combat zones in the wider Donbas region should also leave. Donbas includes the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“Many refuse to leave, but it still has to be done,” he said. “If you have a chance, please talk to those who still remain in the battle zones in Donbas. Please convince them that it is necessary to leave.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a mandatory evacuation for the eastern region of Donetsk on Saturday. (Press Office of the Ukrainian Presidential Press via AP)
According to Ukrainian media, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the evacuation had to take place before the onset of winter because the region’s natural gas reserves had been depleted.
But former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said the evacuation may have more to do with the expectation of tougher fighting than a lack of fuel.
“I don’t know why Zelensky made the call,” he said. “What I do know is that there was heavy fighting in Donetsk. The Russians got it [neighboring] Luhansk [oblast] several weeks ago. I expect further tough battles in Donetsk.”
The Ukrainian military claimed earlier Saturday that more than 100 Russian soldiers were killed and seven tanks destroyed during Friday’s fighting in the Kherson region. The Kherson region is the center of Kiev’s counteroffensive in the south and a critical part of Moscow’s supply lines.
Ukraine claims more than 100 Russian soldiers killed in fighting in Kherson region
The Ukrainian military claimed earlier Saturday that more than 100 Russian soldiers were killed and seven tanks destroyed during Friday’s fighting in the Kherson region.
Ukraine’s southern command said rail traffic to Kherson over the Dnipro River had been cut, which could further isolate the Russian army west of the river from reaching supplies in Crimea and to the east.
Western-supplied long-range missile systems have been used by Ukraine to damage three bridges on the Dnipro River in recent weeks, cutting off the Kherson area.
“As a result of the fire that put control over the main transport links in the occupied territories, it was found that traffic over the railway bridge crossing the Dnipro is not possible,” Ukraine’s southern command said in a statement.
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Smoke rises behind ships on the Dnipro River during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the Russian-controlled city of Kherson, Ukraine.
Kherson region governor Dmytro Butriy said Berislav region, which is across the river northwest of the Kakhovka hydroelectric station, was particularly damaged.
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“In some villages, not a single house has been left intact, all infrastructure has been destroyed, people are living in cellars,” he wrote on Telegram.
Boutri said fighting continues in many areas of the Kherson region.
Reuters contributed to this report.