The Russian army is withdrawing its troops from positions on the Dnipro River in the south of the Kherson region, said a Ukrainian official quoted by CNN.

“They are moving their elite units and officers from the West Bank, leaving only those who are mobilized and not in need,” Ukrainian military spokeswoman Nataliya Humeniuk said on Sunday.

“We continue to move the front line. But they are firmly entrenched outside their defenses and are trying to concentrate their forces on the eastern bank,” Humenyuk says.

Kherson – the gateway to Crimea on the Black Sea – was annexed by Russia last month amid widespread international condemnation.

This weekend, Kremlin-backed leaders ordered residents to evacuate the city. Russian forces are trying to resist the approach of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russia claims it has not lost ground to Ukraine in Kherson, but is evacuating civilians for their own safety by moving them east.

“Evacuation of Kherson continues. We provide maximum assistance to everyone who goes to the eastern part of the Kherson region and other subjects of the Russian Federation,” Kyrylo Stremousov, an official appointed by Russia in Kherson, said on Sunday.

Ukraine accuses Russia of creating “hysteria” as a justification for the forced eviction of residents.

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