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Russian drones hunt civilians as Putin zeroes in on Ukraine's Kherson

Kherson (Ukraine), Aug 7 (UNI) Russia has launched a new bid to exert control over the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson by threatening key access roads with its drones and trying to split it in two by striking a vital bridge. On Sunday, a wave of airstrikes damaged a key bridge between Kherson's island, Korabel, and the main city, sparking a widespread effort to evacuate the estimated 1,800 Ukrainian civilians who still live there, reports CNN. Russian forces appear not to have targeted the evacuation effort over the past three days, according to locals and rescuers, a rare moment of respite from the daily barbaric drone strikes on civilians across the city of recent months. Later Wednesday, videos posted online showed significant Russian strikes had resumed near the bridge and on the island, where some Ukrainain military are also thought to be based. Russian military bloggers have also warned Kherson residents the main access road to the city, from the north, would now be targeted by longer-range drones. The capture of Kherson city and region – seized in the opening days of the war and then freed by a swift Ukrainian counter-offensive in November 2022 – remains one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's main goals for the conflict, and the renewed pressure to separate Korabel from the rest of the city has raised concerns Russian forces might seek to bombard and then land upon the flat terrain in the weeks ahead. Evacuations from Korabel continued Wednesday, with rescuers telling CNN of calm when they collected some of the 925 people removed by the end of the day from the island. Shelling continued apace on the peninsula, locals reported, but drones appeared to leave the evacuation convoys alone. Exhausted locals wept both relief and anxiety for their future when they reached an aid point. Most of the elderly evacuees had been promised lodging elsewhere in the city, but had few other options. Local Ukrainian officials stressed any Russian pause in drone attacks on the evacuation convoy paled into insignificance after months of repeated strikes on civilian targets. 'They absolutely do not care what the targets are,' said Yaroslav Shanko, head of Kherson city military administration. 'Talking about any humanity from the Russians is absolutely pointless. Strikes on the community and the city are constant,' he added. Civilians are regularly hunted by Russian drones, whose operators flaunt their ruthless strikes in online posts. UNI XC SS