Russia is going to evacuate people in the city of Kherson because of the bombs that Ukraine continues to shoot at it
Russian army confirmed Kherson evacuation
The head of the Russian military in Ukraine says the situation is "difficult" in the southern city of Kherson and that residents are being evacuated.
General Sergei Surovikin said that Ukrainian soldiers using HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rockets are firing at infrastructure and buildings. He said this on Russian state television.
He said: "The Russian army above all else will ensure the safe evacuation of the people" of Kherson.
This rare recognition that the Russian military is in dire straits was also expressed by a high-ranking Kherson official.
Kirill Stremousov, the regional governor appointed by Russia, warned residents of Kherson that "very soon" Ukrainian troops would attack the city.
"Please understand that I'm saying this straight away - I'm talking about running away as fast as possible," he said on the Telegram messaging site.
He added that the people on the west bank of the Dnieper River (called Dnipro in Ukraine) are the most at risk.
This was confirmed by the Governor of the region, Vladimir Saldo, who was also appointed by Russia, in a video message.
Kherson became the first major city captured by the Russians, in the second month.
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian military has continued to take back territory close to it. They advanced as far as 30 kilometers south along the Dnieper River, planning to ambush (encircle) the Russian army.
"Generally the situation in the area of the special military operation can be described as serious," General Surovikin said.
Kherson is the only regional capital of Ukraine that was captured by the Russians in their attack.
Now the office of the president of Russia - the Kremlin - says that Kherson and three other regions of Ukraine belong to Russia - which the world has condemned.
General Surovikin is the new head of Russia's war in Ukraine - which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation".
He fought in various Russian wars. In Syria, he led the Russian military's bombing campaign that killed many civilians. He also led soldiers in Chechnya accused of violating human rights.
General Surovikin made the comments on a day when Russia carried out further drone and missile attacks on the capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, many of which targeted Ukraine's electricity infrastructure.
Some parts of Kyiv are now without electricity and running water.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 30% of the country's power stations were destroyed in the last eight days.