Russia urges Kherson residents to evacuate as Ukrainian military advances

Russia has urged Kherson residents to evacuate the area, as Ukrainian military forces continue their advances

In what can only be described as a bizarre announcement, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine’s Kherson region is calling for all civilians to evacuate immediately.

Vladimir Saldo says daily rocket attacks and advancing Ukrainian soldiers have made the area unsafe.

Asking for Moscow’s help during a recorded address, Saldo is urging residents to ‘save themselves’ before it is too late.

Shortly after, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister also weighed in on the situation.

In a message on state television, he supported the calls to evacuate.

Ukraine’s armed forces have recently retaken several areas of north-west Kherson but rejects claims it targets its own civilians.

They are closing in on the region’s capital, Kherson city, aided by the use of U.S.-supplied rocket systems.

Latest war developments

All of Ukraine bar Crimea has been placed under air raid alert for at least a short period of time.

Russian missiles have struck energy and military targets in the Kyiv region and the western city of Lviv.

In what is the latest prison swap, 20 Ukrainian service personnel have been exchanged for 20 Russian soldiers

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also met with his Turkish counterpart – proposing a gas hub in Turkey as an alternative supply route to Europe.

This follows a number of recent problems with the Nord Stream pipelines.

It comes as Western support for Ukraine seemingly reaches an all-time high.

The strategic NATO alliance has confirmed it will provide the war-torn nation with dozens of jammers.

These are transmitters which disrupt signals in a bid to counteract Russian and Iranian drones.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia would be crossing a “very important line” if it used nuclear weapons in Ukraine