Call comes as Ukrainian forces are expected to embark on a campaign to recapture the city in southern Ukraine.

Russian-installed authorities in occupied Kherson have urged residents to leave “immediately” as they expect Ukrainian troops to wage a counteroffensive campaign to reclaim the city in southern Ukraine.

The regional administration posted a message on the Telegram app on Saturday demanding civilians leave Kherson city, citing a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged plans for “terror attacks” by Ukrainian forces.

They urged civilians to use boat crossings over a river to move deeper into Russian-held territory.

Russia captured the regional capital city of Kherson in the early days of the war and occupied other parts of the region in the months following. Kherson is one of four regions President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month. On Thursday, he announced martial law in the regions amid a continuing counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces.

Kherson’s Kremlin-backed authorities previously announced plans to evacuate all Russian-appointed officials and as many as 60,000 civilians across the river, in what local leader Vladimir Saldo said would be an “organised, gradual displacement.”

An estimated 25,000 people from the region had made their way across the river, according to another Russian-installed official, Kirill Stremousov, who said civilians were relocating willingly.

“People are actively moving because today the priority is life. We do not drag anyone anywhere,” he said in his Telegram post, adding that some residents could be waiting for the Ukrainian army to reclaim the city.