Putin’s on back foot Evac in Kherson

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that civilians must be evacuated from Ukraine’s southern Kherson region ahead of Kyiv’s anticipated offensive.

“Now, of course, those who live in Kherson should be removed from the zone of the most dangerous actions, because the civilian population should not suffer,” Putin told supporters as he marked Russia’s Day of National Unity in Moscow’s Red Square.

Hours later, the Kremlin-installed deputy governor of the region, Kirill Stremousov, announced that a 24-hour curfew had been imposed on Kherson.

In a video message posted on Telegram, Stremousov said that the measure was necessary “in order to defend our city of Kherson” from what he referred to as “terrorist attacks.”

Stremousov repeated earlier calls for civilians to flee, saying that columns of Ukrainian vehicles had been spotted on areas of the front line and that an attack was possible.

Moscow has already evacuated some 60,000 people from the area under its control on the west bank of the Dnieper River, and this week announced that the evacuation zone would also include a 9-mile buffer zone on the east bank.

But Putin’s remarks Friday appear to be the first time he has publicly, personally endorsed the evacuations.

Russia said it has been taking residents to safety from the path of a Ukrainian advance. Kyiv said the measures have included forced deportations of civilians, a war crime which Russia denies.

Putin’s comments come as signs are emerging that Russia could be preparing to ditch its military hub on the Dnieper’s western bank — potentially one of the biggest anti-Moscow reverses of the eight-month war.

Stremousov, the deputy governor, said Thursday that Russia was likely to pull its troops from the area. He later walked back his remarks, saying he hoped there would be no retreat but “we have to take some very difficult decisions.”