Civilian evacuation of Kherson finished, say Russia

Russian-backed forces say they have finished a pull-out of civilians from the key southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Qazet.az report according to Russian Media.

Kyiv’s forces are now closing in on the city after making major gains in Ukraine’s east and south, Agence France-Presse reports.

The city had a population of about 288,000 people before the war and was one of the first to fall to Moscow’s troops after the February invasion.

Since mid-October, the occupying authorities have urged Kherson residents to cross the Dnipro River, going deeper into Moscow-controlled territory and closer to regions of southern Russia.

A Russian-installed official in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, has said at least 70,000 people had left their homes in the region in the space of a week.