Melitopol mayor: Russians return people to frontline occupied cities after so-called "evacuation"

The Russians have decided to return those residents of the temporarily occupied territories who were allegedly "evacuated" to Russia in May 2023.

This was stated by the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, during a national telethon.

On May 5, the Russians "evacuated" residents of 18 settlements near the front line to allegedly "protect" them from shelling. The people are now being returned. For over three months, the Russian army has been looting the homes of those evicted.

"Now that the front line has become even closer to these settlements, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balytskyi, has decided to return the residents home," said Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov.

He assumes that in this way, the Russians want to use civilians as a shield to delay the Ukrainian military's advance.