ROSTOV-ON-DON. Oct 19 (Interfax) - Civilians are prohibited from entering the Kherson region for seven days, the region's Acting Governor Vladimir Saldo said.
"The territory of the Kherson region is closing to civilian entry for seven days. Only those who receive passes from the commandant's office and those involved in logistics, supply, and the work of housing and utilities bodies [can enter]," Saldo said on Rossiya 24 VGTRK) television on Wednesday.
Regional authorities will move to the left bank of the Dnieper, he said.
"All bodies of authorities located in the city, the military-civilian administration, all units, all ministries are also moving to the left bank. Administration in this period will be conducted from the left bank of our Kherson region," he said.
Saldo earlier announced the organized relocation of the population of four municipalities - Berislavsky, Belozyorsky, Snegiryovsky, and Aleksandrovsky - to the left bank of the Dnieper. He attributed that to Ukrainian strikes on civil infrastructure facilities, which have become more frequent, and the threat of the flooding of the territories due to the possible destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant (HPP).
Saldo said the relocation of the population to safe territories will help Russian troops to create "large-scale defensive fortifications" and rebuff the Ukrainian troops' offensive. The relocation and temporary accommodation will be conducted free of charge, using the resources of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and the government of the Kherson region. The Russian government earlier said all those who want to move to other regions of Russia will be given housing certificates.
Commander of the joint group of forces in the zone of the special military operation Sergei Surovikin, for his part, said on Tuesday that the Russian military command has information that the Ukrainian army is planning to deliver a massive strike on Kherson, including on the Kakhovka HPP dam. Surovikin did not rule out that "difficult decisions" might have to be made with regard to the Kherson sector.