The authorities in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, have urged residents to leave due to the danger posed by intensifying Russian attacks.

The regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents of Kherson on Thursday to evacuate the city due to an "extremely difficult security situation." He emphasized that Russian attacks on essential infrastructure are intensifying, putting the electricity and heating of the city, which had approximately 280,000 residents before the war, at risk.

Prokudin reported recent attacks on the heating plant in Kherson, which has suffered severe damage. He mentioned that the city could remain without electricity and heating for an extended period. Russia has intensified drone and guided bomb attacks, and Prokudin emphasized that there are no means to destroy these threats. Attacks on civilian infrastructure have increased, causing a growing number of casualties among civilians, and Kherson, which was under Russian control until November 2022, is regularly bombarded by Russian forces on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River.