Russia to evacuate Kherson residents as Ukrainian forces advance
Al JazeeraOct 13, 2022
Russian deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin said on Thursday that the country's government would assist residents of the recently annexed Kherson region in southern Ukraine to evacuate "to other regions of the country," after a plea from a Russian-appointed official in the region.
Vladimir Saldo, a former mayor of Kherson city and now Russia's head of the wider region, called on the Russian government to help relocate residents he said were in danger from increased Ukrainian shelling. Saldo's current role means he is wanted for treason by Ukrainian officials.
While Ukraine's counteroffensive continues to press on, Russia's decision to evacuate residents from Kherson reveals that Moscow's hold on territories it claims to have annexed is weakening.
The decision to help evacuate residents of Kherson is simply about saving lives - the announcement does not mean Russia is planning a mass evacuation from the territory, nor that Russian forces have plans to retreat.
There's a 50% chance that Ukraine will regain control of Kherson by Dec. 20, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.