Kherson residents urged to flee as Russian strikes threaten power and heat supply

Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin on Thursday called on residents who are able to do so to leave the city, singling out families with children and elderly people as he described an extremely difficult security situation.

According to Prokudin, Russian forces are stepping up attacks on the region's critical infrastructure every day. Overnight, glide bombs again struck Kherson's district heating plant, inflicting very serious damage on the facility.

The governor warned that Kherson could be left without electricity or heating not just for hours or days, but for an extended period. He added that there is currently no way to intercept or destroy the types of drones or aerial bombs being used against the region.

Escalating long-range strikes

Both Russia and Ukraine have spent recent months intensifying long-range strikes, increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure such as warehouses, oil facilities and ports. Civilian casualties have been rising as a result.

Last winter, Russian forces repeatedly hit Ukrainian power plants, leaving millions of people without heat or electricity in the cold and dark.

Kherson was under Russian occupation from March to November 2022. The city had around 280,000 residents before Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Russian troops are now stationed on the opposite bank of the Dnipro river bordering the city and regularly shell it.