Russia kidnaps thousands of ‘evacuated’ Ukrainians
RUSSIA was yesterday accused of kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian citizens from the occupied region of Kherson by “evacuating” them across the border.
The Moscow-installed leader of Ukraine’s newly annexed southern Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said they needed to flee because of daily rocket attacks by advancing Ukrainian forces.
The diktat meant they were arriving in their thousands in Russia at the weekend.
Kyiv attacked the move, saying it would never target its own citizens and was yet another sign of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s desperation in the face of defeat.
It also accused the Kremlin of forcibly taking Ukrainian nationals to Russia – a charge also made earlier in the war in other areas.
But Saldo claimed that all civilians there needed to “save themselves” by going to Russia for “leisure and study”, and asked for Moscow’s help.
He said: “We suggested that all residents of the Kherson region, if they wish to protect themselves from the consequences of missile strikes, go to other regions.”
People should “leave with their children”.
His call was later backed up by Russian deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin.
“The government took the decision to organise assistance for the departure of residents of the region to other regions of the country,” he said. “We will provide everyone with free accommodation and everything necessary.”
Yesterday, the first groups of people from Kherson were arriving in Russia’s Rostov region, its governor Vasily Golubev said.
He added: “The Rostov region will accept and accommodate everyone who wants to come to us from the Kherson region.”
The apparent forced migration comes as Ukraine continues to make advances in the Kherson area where Kyiv has been using US-supplied Himars rocket systems to great effect against Russian positions.
Kherson is the only regional capital seized by Russian forces since the invasion began on February 24.
Yesterday fierce fighting continued with Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky saying the situation in the east was “most difficult” near the town of Bakhmut. Russian troops have been pummelling it for weeks.