Explosions over the Crimea. Meanwhile, Russia wants to forcibly relocate people there

The Russian occupation forces are preparing the evacuation of the population from the territories of the Ukrainian Oblasts of Zaporizhia and Kherson to the annexed Crimea, the Ukrainian General Staff announced in a communiqué issued on Saturday morning. According to information spread by the Russians, the forced evacuation will begin at the end of April. The Ukrainian army denies these reports and claims that operations are already underway.

The Ukrainian General Staff informed about Russia's plans regarding the civilian population of southern Ukraine. The occupiers plan to evacuate the inhabitants of the Zaporozhian and Kherson regions to the annexed Crimea. According to information disseminated by Russian forces, the forced evacuation is to start from the end of April. However, the Ukrainian army claims that the occupier's operations have already begun.

The Russians are preparing a forced evacuation of the Ukrainian population to Crimea

“In the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporozhian and Kherson regions, the Russian occupiers have launched preparations for the evacuation of the local population to the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” the Ukrainian Army General Staff said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Among the residents of Melitopol and Skadovsk, the Russians conduct surveys on possible evacuation, in which civilians are asked about education, registration and, above all, possession of a Russian passport.

“The occupiers are spreading information that the forced evacuation of civilians will begin at the end of April,” the statement said.

However, the Ukrainian side assured that the first preparations of the Russians, including providing buses for the local population, had already begun.

Sergei Aksyonov: Ukrainian missile shot down over Crimea

The self-proclaimed prime minister of the unrecognized Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced on Saturday morning via his Telegram that Russian forces shot down a missile launched from Ukraine over Feodosia. According to reports from the Ria Novosti news agency, the shell fragments fell in the Crimean village, but did not cause any damage. No one was injured as a result of the incident either.

The Kremlin authorities have repeatedly warned Ukraine about the catastrophic consequences of an attack on illegally occupied territory. Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also spoke on this subject, noting that any attempt to retake Crimea “is a basis for using all means of protection, including those provided for by the basics of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, when the use of any kind of weapon against Russia threatens the existence of of the state itself.”

Ukraine ready for peace talks on Crimea?

Kiev does not rule out diplomatic talks if Ukrainian forces reach the borders of the peninsula. In an article published in early April in the Financial Times, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that a discussion with Moscow on the future of Crimea is possible in the future. He stressed that, despite this, it is possible to use military means if Ukraine attempts to liberate the occupied territories.

If we manage to achieve our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we reach the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open a diplomatic page to discuss this issue. This does not mean that we exclude the path of liberation of Crimea by our army.