Russian-installed officials in the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson said on Wednesday they were preparing to defend it from imminent Ukrainian attack and urged civilians to flee as soon as possible.

The Russian-appointed governor of the region, Vladimir Saldo, said in a TV interview, “No one is about to surrender Kherson but it’s undesirable for residents to be in a city where military actions are going to be conducted.” “We expect an attack, and the Ukrainian side doesn’t hide that,” Saldo said. His deputy Kirill Stremousov said a Ukrainian offensive was coming soon. “I ask you to take my words seriously and take them to mean: the fastest possible evacuation,” he said in a late night post on Telegram.