Exodus: Russian-Occupied Kherson Evacuates As Ukrainian Forces Draw Closer
Civilians disembark a ferry and head toward transport that will take them to Russian-occupied Crimea during a rainy day in Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region, on October 23.
An elderly woman steps off a boat at Oleshky during the evacuation from Kherson on October 23.
The day before, Russian-installed authorities in Kherson repeated calls for civilians to leave the port city in southern Ukraine, calling on residents to “take care of the safety of their family and friends.”
Kherson photographed in May, three months after it was captured by Russian forces during the unprovoked war on Ukraine.
Kherson is of vital strategic and symbolic importance to Russia’s war effort and the Kremlin appears to be preparing the city for a major ground war as Ukrainian troops push steadily closer.
Civilians from Kherson arrive at the Dzhankoi Railway Station in Russian-occupied Crimea to await transport to Russia on October 21.
Analysts say one reason for the “official” calls for people to leave the city over the past several days is fears that pro-Ukrainian residents could help Ukrainian forces if they advance into the city.
Pro-Ukrainian demonstrators face down a Russian military convoy in Kherson in March.
The southern city became a symbol of defiance early on in the invasion as residents risked their lives to protest the Russian occupation.
A man carries a baby in a stroller up the stairs of the Dzhankoi train station in Crimea on October 21.
About 25,000 people have left the region since October 18, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
A volunteer in the Russian city of Anapa hands out aid with pro-invasion stickers on October 21.
Imagery indicating that Russia’s war effort is faltering is almost impossible to find in Russia’s state-controlled media, yet Russian news TASS has made scores of images from the Kherson evacuation available.
Residents of Kherson at a train station in Crimea awaiting transportation to Russia on October 20.
Kyrylo Budanov, a Ukrainian military intelligence official, says it is possible the very public evacuation of residents from Kherson may be a way to lure Ukraine into a costly urban battle.
A ferry transports people out of Kherson on October 20.
Budanov says Russian forces "are creating the illusion that everything is lost. And at the same time, they are bringing in new military units and preparing the streets of [Kherson] for defense."
A Ukrainian soldier in a captured Russian trench in the Kherson region on October 12.
Ukraine is reportedly making some advances in the Kherson region, but advances are facing stiff resistance around Kherson city. Ukrainian officials claim up to 45 Russian battalion tactical groups may now be awaiting a Ukrainian advance around Kherson.