Four killed in Kherson, Russia blames Ukraine

As many as four people were killed in an attack in Ukraine’s Kherson, which Russia blames on Kyiv for using US-supplied HIMARS missiles to attack civilians evacuating from the annexed region.

This comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would impose martial law in the four regions in Ukraine he illegally annexed last month as his military struggles to maintain its grip on territory amid Ukrainian advances, Al Jazeera reported. “Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack on a civilian crossing,” said Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy governor of Kherson.

He did not say what weapons were used.

Earlier on Wednesday, they announced the imposition of martial law in four areas of Ukraine that Russia announced it had annexed last month.

The four regions occupied by Russia are Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. CNN reported that Putin made these comments during a Security Council meeting.

In this regard, let me remind you that in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, martial law was in effect before joining Russia, Putin said during a televised address.

“Now we need to formalise this regime within the framework of Russian legislation,” he said, adding that a decree of martial law in these four regions of the Russian Federation has been introduced formally and will be immediately sent to the Federation Council, CNN reported.

Earlier, the Russian leaders in the annexed regions started relocating people in huge numbers.

After Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia, concerns have been sparked globally that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons.

Putin formally announced the annexation of four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia—recently and claimed that “this is the will of millions of people,” according to CNN.

Putin said the residents in the four annexed regions will now be Russia’s “citizens forever”.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea has sparked wide criticism from around the world.