KYIV—Ukraine accused Russia of looting empty homes in the southern city of Kherson and occupying them with troops in civilian clothes to prepare for street fighting in what both sides predict will be one of the war’s most important battles.
In recent days, Russia has ordered civilians out of Kherson in anticipation of a Ukrainian assault to recapture the city, which was the first to be seized by Russian forces following their invasion in February.
Kherson, with a prewar population of nearly 300,000, has been left cold and dark after power and water were cut to the surrounding area over the past 48 hours, both sides said.
Russian-installed officials blamed Ukrainian “sabotage,” while Ukrainian officials said the Russians had dismantled 1.5 kilometers of power lines.
Kyiv has described the evacuation of the area as a forced deportation, a war crime. Moscow says it is sending residents away for safety.
About 100 disabled children were moved from a medical facility in Dnipriany in Kherson region to the Moscow region, Ukraine’s military said on Monday. Patients from an elderly persons’ home in Kakhovka were also being moved and Russian forces are taking over those facilities, it said.
Kherson is in the only pocket of Russian-held territory on the west bank of the Dnipro River that bisects Ukraine. Recapturing it has been the main focus of Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the south, which has accelerated since the start of October.
The situation inside Kherson could not be independently confirmed. Ukrainian forces on the nearby front line have told Reuters they anticipate fierce fighting before forcing the Russian occupiers to abandon the city.
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces, “disguised in civilian clothes, occupy the premises of civilians, and strengthen positions inside for conducting street battles.”
Russian forces were “involved in looting and theft from residents and from infrastructure sites and are taking away equipment, food and vehicles to the Russian Federation,” it said in an update late on Monday.
Reuters was seeking comment from Russian authorities on the Ukrainian allegations. Moscow denies abusing civilians.
The Ukrainian military reported hits on a Russian anti-aircraft facility, ammunition dump, and the destruction of Russian armor in the Beryslav district of the Kherson region, in an early Tuesday statement. It said 32 Russian military personnel were killed.
Ukrainian forces around the recently liberated village of Nova Kamyanka counted four Russian air strikes in the vicinity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that the Donetsk region in the east remained the “epicenter” of the conflict.
The towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka are suffering the heaviest fighting in Donetsk region.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine was ready to negotiate with a future Russian leader but not with Vladimir Putin, after a Washington Post report that the United States had urged Kyiv to signal a readiness for peace talks to ensure it retains Western support.
“Ukraine has never refused to negotiate,” Podolyak said on Twitter, adding that Russia should first withdraw forces from Ukraine. “Is Putin ready? Obviously not.”
Zelenskyy in his nightly address on Monday said Russia should be forced to participate in “genuine” peace talks.
Russia’s defense ministry took the rare step on Monday of denying that an elite unit had suffered catastrophic losses, after Russian military bloggers posted an open letter from surviving members of the Pacific Fleet’s 155th marine brigade.
