Nearly 15,000 residents of Ukraine's Kherson evacuated amid rising tensions

MOSCOW (AA) - Some 15,000 residents of Ukraine's Kherson region, currently under Russian control, have been evacuated amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive, an official said on Thursday.

"About 15,000 residents, having listened to the recommendations of the leadership of the Kherson region, moved to the left bank (of the Dnipro river)," Russian-installed regional official Kirill Stremousov said on Telegram.

Vladimir Saldo, who was appointed head of the southern coastal region by Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier said evacuation accelerated due to the threat of possible flooding if Ukraine’s military hits the Kakhovskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant.

He added that up to 60,000 civilians will be moved within a week.

Saldo said intelligence showed the Ukrainian army is amassing huge forces in the neighboring cities of Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih.

Russia started its "a special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have made advances, while Moscow called up more reservists and made four Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, part of Russian territory following "sham" referendums. The other regions are Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk.