Ukraine urges civilians in Luhansk to flee ahead of likely Russia op
Officials in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region have expressed optimism about evacuating civilians through five "humanitarian corridors" ahead of an expected Russian offensive, urging residents to get out "while it is safe."
"We will take everyone out if the Russians allow us to get to the meeting places (for evacuation). Because, as you can see, they don't always observe ceasefires," said the Luhansk region governor, Serhiy Gaidai, in a social media post on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday.
"I appeal to every resident of the Luhansk region: evacuate while it is safe... While there are buses and trains, take this opportunity!" Gaidai further added, noting that connections in the Donetsk region of Donbass had been damaged this week and taken several hours to repair.
"This is another alarm bell," he emphasized.
Kiev says Russian forces, which began an offensive against Ukraine on February 24, are regrouping and preparing for a new attack in the Donbass area, which includes Luhansk.
Gaidai said separately in a video address that Russian troops had not managed to break through Ukrainian defenses in his region but claimed that they were destroying "everything in their path" and would "stop at nothing."
Russia, however, has insisted that it does not target civilians in its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West on Tuesday of seeking to sabotage negotiations between Moscow and Kiev by fueling "hysteria" over the alleged mass killing of civilians by Russian forces in the town of Bucha.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces remained dug in around the village of Krasnopillia in the Donbass as they brace for an anticipated Russian offensive to take the eastern region.
"We know the Russians are reinforcing and are getting ready to attack," said a senior Ukrainian officer, echoing similar assertions by other unidentified sources. "We are ready... we've planned some surprises for them along the way."
The village sits on the road between the Ukrainian-held cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, and Izyum, to the northwest, recently captured by Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces have been deployed in the region since 2014 along a frontline running between Donetsk to the south and Lugansk in the east, the capitals of the two pro-Russian, breakaway republics of the same name.
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