The Ukrainian military said that residents of Kherson, the capital of the Kherson region, received phone calls from the Russian occupation authorities asking them to leave the city as soon as possible, The Guardian and Associated Press reported on Sunday. .

The Russian military informed civilians that the Ukrainian army was preparing for a massive offensive and asked them to immediately withdraw to the right bank of the city.

Russian troops are preparing for a counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops with the aim of recapturing Kherson, captured in the first days of the invasion.

In September, Russia illegally annexed Kherson, as well as three other regions of Ukraine, and later declared martial law in four regions.

The Kremlin-appointed administration in Kherson has already evicted tens of thousands of civilians from the city.

The Russians simultaneously “occupied and evacuated” the city

Southern Forces of Ukraine spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said on state television that the Russians were “simultaneously occupying and evacuating” Kherson, trying to convince Ukrainians that they were leaving, when in fact they were strengthening their positions.

“There are defense units that have strengthened quite a lot, a certain amount of equipment has been left behind, firing positions have been set up,” she explained.

“Russian troops are trying with all their might to convince everyone that they are leaving, but at the same time we see objective evidence that they are staying,” Humenyuk continued, according to CNN.

“We understand that the Russians are trying to create the illusion that they are not there to drag Ukrainian forces into neighboring settlements, and fierce street battles usually take place in settlements,” the spokeswoman said.

“Therefore, we know, see and predict what story they are trying to present to us, and we build our own strategy accordingly,” Humenyuk said.

According to Humenyuk, the Russians are moving their elite units and officers to the left (eastern) bank of the Dnieper, leaving those on the right bank no chance to escape or evacuate: “let the units on the right bank fight until their last breath.”

Kherson was left without electricity and water

The city of Kherson in southern Ukraine was left “without electricity and water” on Sunday, the Russian occupation authorities said, AFP reports.

“There is currently no electricity or water in the city and some areas of the region, which was annexed by Moscow at the end of September,” they said.

In Kherson, this is the first serious violation of electricity and water supply since February.

According to the representative of the State Emergency Service in the Kherson region, quoted by Russian news agencies, “more than 10 settlements in the region are (currently) without power.”