Kyiv, Ukraine – Local authorities in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine have urged residents to leave the city immediately. This comes amid ongoing military escalation and intensified Russian attacks that threaten to cut off energy and heating supplies as winter approaches. Meanwhile, casualties were reported from an airstrike that targeted residential areas early Friday morning.
Casualties and injuries in the bombing of demonstrations in Kherson
In detailing the situation on the ground, the head of the Kherson military administration, Yaroslav Shanko, reported that a Russian drone strike targeted the Korabelny district. A 61-year-old man died from his injuries. Three other people were injured in the Dniprovsky district and were hospitalized. These deadly developments come a day after the governor of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, issued an urgent appeal via Telegram, urging residents, especially families with children and the elderly, to evacuate the city, citing the “extremely difficult” security situation.
Risks of energy and heating system collapse
Prokudin warned that Russian forces are intensifying their attacks daily, targeting vital infrastructure. He also pointed to the extensive damage inflicted on the central heating plant by previous shelling. He expressed serious concerns that the city could find itself without electricity or heating for extended periods. This is especially concerning given Kyiv’s dwindling stockpile of interceptor missiles and its inability to counter certain types of drones and guided aerial bombs.
Kherson, which had a population of around 280,000 before the war, was under Russian control between March and November 2022. Russian forces then withdrew to the opposite bank of the Dnieper River and continued shelling the area. These developments come at a time when Ukraine’s power grid is suffering widespread damage. Presidential warnings have been issued that most thermal power plants are at risk of being completely shut down due to the ongoing attacks.
