Local Ukrainian authorities announced that a 58-hour curfew would take effect Friday evening in the city of Kherson, near the front line in the south, as Kyiv says it is nearing the end of preparations for a large-scale counteroffensive. reports France Presse.
“From May 5, 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT), traffic restrictions will begin in Kherson, which will last until 06:00 on May 8 (03:00 GMT),” the head noted. of the local military administration Oleksandr Prokudin.
“During these 58 hours, traffic on the city streets will be prohibited. (Kherson) will also be closed for entry and exit,” he added.
Prokudin justified “these temporary restrictions” as a “necessity” so that “law enforcement agencies can do their work,” without giving details.
The announcement by the Ukrainian authorities comes at a time when Kyiv says that preparations for a large-scale counteroffensive to retake Russian-controlled territories in the east and south are “nearing completion.”
Is a counteroffensive starting in Kherson?
There are rumors among analysts about when this assault will take place and in which specific area, where the terrain is more or less suitable, AFP notes.
For example, the region around the city of Bakhmut in Donbas (east), the epicenter of hostilities for several months, is more hilly, while the geography of the southern regions of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia is characterized by large flat areas.
Russia still occupies almost 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014.
Kherson, a city occupied by Moscow forces for several months in 2022, was liberated last November after a successful counteroffensive by Kyiv in the region.
Since then, the city was regularly bombarded, and the Russian army was stationed on the other bank of the Dnieper, which is a natural front line.
As a result of the Russian attack on a supermarket in Kherson on Wednesday, at least three civilians were killed and five more were injured, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, reported in Telegram. (Agerpress)
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Source: Hot News
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