Kherson Authorities Urge Residents to Leave: We Have No Means of Defense

The authorities of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, have urged residents to leave, citing the country’s lack of means to defend itself against Russian drones and aerial bombs.

City officials say Russian attacks, which raise the risk of prolonged disruptions to electricity and heating supplies, have intensified.

“I am once again addressing the residents of Kherson, particularly families with children and elderly people: if you have the possibility, please leave,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

Prokudin added that Kherson, which had a population of around 280,000 before Russia’s military invasion in 2022, is facing an “extremely difficult security situation.”

He said Moscow was intensifying its attacks on critical infrastructure in the region day after day.

He continued: “Russian forces launched a new attack last night on Kherson’s central heating plant using glide bombs, causing extensive damage to the facility.”

He warned that “Kherson could be left without electricity or heating, not merely for hours or days, but for a prolonged period.”

“At present, there is absolutely no means of destroying these types of drones or aerial bombs in any part of our country,” he said.

Over the past several months, Russia and Ukraine have intensified their exchanges of long-range strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, including warehouses, oil facilities, and ports, leading to a growing number of civilian casualties.

Last winter, the Russian military launched repeated attacks on Ukrainian power plants, leaving millions of people exposed to cold and darkness.

Russian forces controlled Kherson from March to November 2022 before withdrawing to the opposite bank of the Dnipro River, which borders the city, from where they continue to shell it regularly.

Ukraine says it is facing a shortage of air-defense missiles following a decline in U.S. supplies of Patriot missiles.