INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the remaining civilian population should be evacuated from the city of Kherson in
Russian-occupied southern Ukraine as all indicators suggested the battle for the strategically key city on the Dnipro River was
walkabout on Red Square where he had been meeting youth volunteers from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine on Friday.The civilian population
Telegram channels reported that the Russian flag on Kherson city's administrative building had been taken down, though other Russian flags
civilians to the left bank of the Dnipro River as a Ukrainian counteroffensive continues to advance on the city.Kirill Stremousov, the
television.The Ukrainian General Staff noted that Russia was leaving Kherson ahead of the battle for the city, though it also reported that
some Russian troops were "dressing in civilian clothes and settling into abandoned houses" awaiting the arrival of Ukrainian forces in the
city.The Russian retreat could be a ploy, said Natalia Gumenyuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Military Command
"It could be a provocation to give the impression that the settlements are abandoned, that it is safe to enter them," she said
military has predicted that the final battle for Kherson would take place before mid-November, after which it said the Ukrainian offensive
would be severely hampered by weather conditions
