The occupation authorities said the men have the “opportunity” to join territorial defense units if they choose to remain in Kherson of their own free will.
The Russian-appointed administration of Ukraine’s Kherson region said today it is organizing local men into militia units.
In a statement via the Telegram app, occupation authorities said the men had the “opportunity” to join territorial defense units if they chose to remain in Kherson of their own free will.
However, men in other occupied Ukrainian regions, such as Donetsk, have in the past been forced to join and fight alongside Russia’s proxy armies in the war with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week declared martial law in the occupied territories, authorizing Russian-appointed administrations to step up conscription.
Forcing civilians to serve in the armed forces of an occupying power is a violation of the Geneva Conventions on the Conduct of War.
Russian authorities have ordered civilians out of Kherson, one of four regions Russia says it annexed last month, although Kiev forces have made significant military gains.
Russia and its proxies in Kherson have stepped up their warnings to citizens to leave in anticipation of a Ukrainian counterattack.
“It is vital to save your lives,” said the Minister of Education Sergey Kraftsov in a video message broadcast yesterday, Sunday.
Authorities said over the weekend that about 25,000 people had been evacuated since Tuesday, mostly by boat across the Dnieper River.
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