Ukraine war: Putin supports exodus from captured Kherson
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has officially endorsed the removal of people from a portion of the Russian-occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. The key port city has been progressively being approached by Kyiv’s army.
People who live in risky locations should leave, according to Mr. Putin, since “the civilian population should not suffer.” According to reports, at least 70,000 residents have already left Kherson, the only significant city that Moscow has taken control of since Russian troops invaded in February.
During the Unity Day festival in Moscow’s Red Square, Mr. Putin warned that those who were in danger from strikes and bombardment should be “removed.” Although Moscow denies it, Kyiv accuses Russia of forcibly deporting civilians from Ukraine, which is seen as a war crime. Intense missile and drone attacks by Russia on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine have resulted in significant deaths and property damage, and Kyiv has been compelled to impose regular power outages. Mr. Putin’s remarks came after reports on Thursday that Russian forces were also leaving Kherson, which would be a significant pullout.
Kirill Stremousov, a Kremlin-installed official in the area, told Russian media that Moscow was “likely” to withdraw its forces. Officials from Ukraine were wary, cautioning that the rumoured action might be a ruse to draw their men into peril.
The expense of employment in Kherson
Kherson was taken over shortly after Russia attacked its neighbour on February 24; but, recently, Ukrainian soldiers have been progressively taking back land around the city.
Kherson’s civilian population was first urged to leave as the Russian army placed the city in defensive mode in the middle of last month. Later, military leaders claimed to have finished the evacuation of the city’s populace in advance of the anticipated conflict.
Despite having partial control over none of them, Russia claims the Kherson area and three other Ukrainian regions as its own. It hurriedly organised so-called local “referendums” to support the claim, a decision that was widely denounced. In his speech on Friday in Red Square, Mr. Putin also stated that more than his goal of 300,000 military recruits had joined up for duty during a mobilisation that is now complete.
Mr. Putin said that 49,000 of them were already actively engaged in combat, a claim that the BBC was unable to independently confirm. In the meantime, the Wagner Group, a Russian private military firm, has established its first legitimate headquarters in St. Petersburg.
According to reports, it has recruited inmates to fight in Ukraine as part of the Russian war in return for having their sentences shortened there.
Wagner soldiers have been charged with violating human rights frequently, notably in conflicts in Syria, Libya, and other countries. In order to include persons recently released from jail who have been convicted of significant crimes, Mr. Putin has changed the Russian statute on calling up reservists.
Due to the move, newly freed drug dealers and murders may be called up to serve in the Ukrainian military. Former inmates convicted of terrorism or sex offences against children are still prohibited from serving.
Ukraine war: Putin supports exodus from captured Kherson
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, criticised the “totally mad persistence of the owners of today’s Russia” in his most recent remarks on the conflict.
He claimed that instead of engaging in peace negotiations, his enemy was putting both mercenary fighters and mobilised troops “through the meat grinder.”
