Ukraine war: As Moscow and Kyiv brace for a pitched battle in Kherson, Putin backs evacuation of civilians

Russian President Vladimir Putin has upheld the evacuation of civilians from the conflict-hit region of southern Kherson, a region he claims to have annexed. This is his first acknowledgment of a worsening situation in Kherson, one of the most contested areas in Ukraine. A 24-hour curfew has been imposed in the region, owing to what the Russian-installed deputy governor of the Kherson region said was a likely Ukrainian offensive against the city. Ushering an intensified clash in the coming weeks, Ukrainian soldiers are bracing to fight their Russian foes around Kherson for control of the key city on the west…