Russian occupation authorities are readying to flee settlements in Kherson

Russian occupation officials are preparing to flee from some parts of Kherson Oblast according to a new report from the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.  

Russian occupation authorities were preparing to flee certain settlements in Kherson Oblast due "to fears of the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories,” Ukraine’s General Staff wrote in their February 27th operational update.

"In the settlements of Oleshky and Skadovsk, Kherson Oblast, the Russian occupation so-called ‘authorities’ are preparing to flee,” the report read. 

Those fleeing from Kherson will be making their way “to the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” the report from the General Staff continued.  

“Local collaborators have been detected leaving for the cities of Bakhchysarai, Simferopol, and Kerch since 21 February,” the report added.

Evacuating Russian officials and collaborators that have already left Kherson allegedly used military trucks to flee to Crimea and were only allowed to take a small amount of hand luggage with them on their journey according to Ukrainska Pravda. 

While news of fleeing Russians occupation authorities may be music to the ears of many, it is important to remember that this information comes directly from Ukranian government sources. 

Reports of fleeing Russian officials and collaborators in Kherson Oblast came on the heels of a recent revelation that Ukraine is planning a major counter-attack in southern Ukraine. 

During an interview with the Berliner Morgenpost, the Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate Vadym Skibitsky said that Ukranian forces were planning to “drive a wedge” between Crimea and Russian forces fighting in the east. 

“The purpose of our counter-offensive is to liberate all occupied territories of Ukraine–including Crimea,” Skibitsky told journalists from the Berliner Morgenpost.

“We won’t stop until we have our country back in the 1991 borders,” Skibitsky added according to a translation provided by The Telegraph. 

Retaking cities in Ukraine’s southern oblasts of Zaprohzhia and Kherson would certainly throw a wrench in Russia’s plans according to The Telegraph’s Natalyia Vasileya. 

“Recapturing cities such as Melitopol or Mariupol, and thus cutting Crimea off from Russian-occupied areas in Donetsk, would make it difficult for Russia to bring in supplies and reinforcements to the peninsula,” Vasileya wrote on February 27th. 

Whether or not the promised Ukranian counter-offensive can accomplish its goal of dividing Russian forces and retaking its southern territories is another matter, though it does seem possible considering the support Kyiv has received. 

Ukrainian forces have been equipped with hundreds of elite Western armored vehicles like the American Stryker and Bradly Fighting Vehicle as well as dozens of British-made Challenger II and German-made Leopard II main battle tanks. 

In November, Ukrainian forces were able to liberate all of Kherson Oblast’s territory north of the Dnipro River as well as 600 settlements after months of brutal positional warfare.

The Kremlin has yet to comment on the alleged flight of its occupation officials from Oleshky and Skadovsk, but that does not mean that it isn’t happening.