This is the desperate situation of the evacuated residents of Kherson 3:00
(CNN) --
A resident of Kherson described the situation in the Russian-occupied city as tense, with people "emotionally exhausted," streets empty from mid-afternoon onward and Russian soldiers often in plain clothes.
The woman was contacted by CNN through a third party, and spoke briefly before Russian-appointed authorities in the city ordered the civilians to leave.
Authorities said on Saturday that “due to the tense situation on the front lines, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the east bank of the Dnieper! !”.
Authorities had previously advised people to leave, but Saturday's announcement seemed to go further.
Speaking on Friday, the Kherson city woman said: “Unfortunately, many residents had to consider leaving the city.
Everyone has their own reasons, worries and fears.
But I'm 100% sure nobody wanted to go."
CNN is not identifying the woman for security reasons.
Civilians arriving from Kherson at the Dzhankoi railway station in Crimea on October 21, 2022. (Credit: STRINGER/AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
He said that Kherson became a ghost town.
Tens of thousands of its residents have left since the Russian occupation began in March.
“At night you see a lot of tall buildings in which a maximum of two or three windows are illuminated.
During the day, you can find people especially near the market.
But by 3 or 4 pm the streets are empty and you won't see anyone anymore."
On Saturday, Ukrainian official Yuriy Sobolevskyi said on Telegram that the "miserable scum terrorizing Kherson" had ordered all elevators in the city to be turned off.
The woman said she was not considering leaving.
“To be honest, the question infuriates me… This is my land, Kherson is my home.
We participated in rallies against the occupiers from the first days of the war, we fought as hard as we could.
This fight is still going on."
The woman said that in recent days she had not heard of anyone being forced to leave.
Some people were still trying to reach Vasylivka in the neighboring Zaporizhia region, the only crossing point between Russian-controlled territory and Ukraine that is still open.
It is unclear if that situation will change now after the latest instructions from the Russian designated authority.
The woman said that the atmosphere in the city was tense: “People are emotionally exhausted, some simply do not leave their homes to avoid contact with the military.
It is impossible to relax here.
At night, when I hear a car pass by close to home, I start to get nervous, because a late car is not a good sign.”
He insisted that most of those who remained understood that the Ukrainian army "will never harm the population and there will be no shelling of civilians."
An apartment block is left in ruins after it was destroyed during fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian occupation forces, on October 20, 2022 in Lyman, Ukraine.
(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
The woman said that while public services were still running, people were worried about whether they would have electricity and adequate heating during the winter: "Everyone is afraid of the coming of winter."
He also said there were enough staple foods available.
“Kherson has become a spontaneous market, people sell what they can.
Someone bakes homemade bread, someone bakes cakes, someone sells their stuff just in the middle of the street by putting it on a sheet.”
But since the Russians had seized people's boats, she wasn't sure how food deliveries from the east bank would hold up.
The woman said medical supplies and baby formula were in short supply and very expensive.
“All that is imported now are medicines from the Russian Federation.
Medicines are simply sold on the street from a car or by some people privately.
There are always long lines at pharmacies and basic things like antibiotics are in short supply.
bombardment is welcome
The woman was not sure if the number of Russian soldiers in the city of Kherson had increased or decreased, but she had noticed a growing contingent of Chechen fighters in the city.
“I cannot say that there are fewer Russian soldiers, they just took off their military uniform and put on civilian clothes.
Some walk down the street dressed in civilian clothes but with a machine gun in their hands”.
She said she was grateful every time she heard the sound of shelling: “Residents of Kherson are scared by the silence.
I remember it was quiet for a couple of days in the summer, and it seemed to everyone that Ukraine had forgotten about us."
“You can constantly hear how the Ukrainian Armed Forces are shelling the occupiers' positions.
You can't imagine how happy we locals are about that,” he said.
This is the desperate situation of the evacuated residents of Kherson
And he added: "Periodically automatic weapons are heard in different parts of the city, but it is not known who is carrying out a shooting."
Ukrainian forces are still some distance from the city of Kherson, but have already made inroads in other parts of the region.
Russian forces appear to be entrenched and defending their positions, while launching missile strikes against the advancing Ukrainians.
Russian-appointed local officials insist Moscow forces intend to defend the region, while Ukrainian officials say as many as 45 Russian battalion tactical groups may now be on the west bank of the Dnieper.
But Ukrainian officials say that in some parts of Kherson, such as Beryslav, the occupation authorities have ceased their activities in recent days.
"Collaborators who cooperated with the Russian occupiers continue to leave the city with their families and property," the Ukrainian military said on Friday.
In recent days, the Ukrainians attacked a newly built pontoon under the Antonivskyi Bridge, which is near the city of Kherson.
Local authorities said four people were killed.
war in ukraine