The Russian-appointed “head” of Kherson vowed on Thursday to defend all territory of the region, despite Russia’s decision to transfer its troops to the east bank of the Dnipro River, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.
“Yes, it’s hard for us now, but still we will defend our land. Our land in the Kherson region, all its territory, all its people will definitely be part of the Russian Federation,” Vladimir Saldo in a video address shared with RIA Novosti.
Despite Saldo’s claims, a number of social media videos from the west bank of the Kherson region found by CNN show that Ukrainian troops are advancing and appear to be encountering little resistance.
Saldo added that the situation in the region is now turbulent, and Russian leadership is forced to make “difficult decisions,” adding that “justice will be restored, because it is worth fighting for.”
On Thursday, the deputy head of the Russian-installed Kherson regional administration, Ekaterina Gubareva, told RIA that civilians retain the opportunity to leave from the west-bank part of the Kherson region, despite the organized departure already being stopped.
CNN’s Tim Lister contributed reporting to this post.
