Kiev forces are steadily advancing toward the strategic port city for this reason Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly approved the evacuation of civilians from the Russian-occupied part of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Putin said that people living in dangerous areas should leave because “the civilian population must not be harmed”.
This is a clear play on words and not painful.
People are already being removed from Kherson, and this week Moscow announced that the “evacuation” zone would also include a 15-kilometer buffer zone on the eastern shore.
It is reported that at least 70,000 people have already been relocated from Kherson, the only major city seized by Moscow after its troops invaded in February.
Civilians threatened by shelling must be “removed,” Putin said during the celebration of People’s Unity Day in Red Square in Moscow.
Putin’s comments followed reports Thursday that Russian soldiers were also leaving Kherson, marking a major withdrawal.
Kirill Stremousov, a Kremlin-appointed official in the region, told Russian media that Moscow would “probably” withdraw its troops from the area.
The problem is that Putin did not specify where exactly Kherson residents should be evacuated, but it is not hard to guess that they, like residents of the left bank of Kherson, will be forced to “evacuate” to Crimea. And from there to the Russian countryside, with no opportunity to return to Ukraine.
Yes, this is exactly genocide. Putin has decided to go beyond scorched earth tactics. In retreating, he intends to leave behind a deserted land.
