Russian occupiers say they are preparing to clear out of the city of Nova Kakhovka, the site of a key dam on the Dnipro River, days after they ceded the city of Kherson to Ukrainian forces.
Pavel Filipchuk, the head of the occupation government, said in a speech that administrators and residents of the city will be pulling back to a safe location, according to the news agency TASS. People within a 15-kilometre zone should be prepared to leave the city, he said.
He said there are concerns the dam could be damaged by missiles, which would result in flooding. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other during the course of the war of planning just such a thing. Filipchuk said Ukrainian forces have made the administration of the city target "number one for a terrorist attack."
He said people should be prepared to head to the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, where they will be sheltered in heated facilities, given regular meals and receive financial aid of 100,000 roubles ($1,650). Ukraine says this is a scheme to carry people away.
There are reports that Ukrainian forces have advanced to communities that lie near the dam.
