Russia Evacuates Thousands in Anticipation of Counteroffensive in Southern Ukraine

Russia is forcibly removing civilians from occupied towns and settlements close to the front line in southern Ukraine in anticipation of a counteroffensive by Ukraine. Reports of what Russia calls evacuations are piling up, with officials displaced from the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions saying that children are being taken away and members of the occupation authorities and people who collaborated with them are leaving. The Russian military is also bringing in more equipment, building fortifications, and digging trenches, while people staying in the area are stockpiling water and food in anticipation of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Army.