This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine’s Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said on October 27 that more than 70,000 people have left the region’s capital, the strategic city of Kherson, as heavy fighting between Russian forces and advancing Ukrainian troops continue.
Saldo’s deputy, Kirill Stremousov, said members of the Moscow-installed regional administration were included in the evacuation.
Saldo also said the remains of Grigory Potemkin, the Russian general who founded Kherson in the 18th century that had been kept at the city’s St. Catherine’s Church, have also been moved along with his monument.
Heavy fighting has been under way around Kherson, where Ukrainian forces are attacking Russia’s advanced position west of the Dnieper River, which bisects the country, as well as in parts of the eastern Donetsk region, while Russian has maintained attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of the winter.
