STORY: Russia is apparently preparing for a major Ukrainian attack in the Kherson region and is calling on the population to get to safety. Around 50,000 to 60,000 people should be taken to the east bank of the Dnipro River or to Russia, the administration appointed by Russia announced on Wednesday. The evacuation is expected to take about six days. The deputy head of administration Kirill Stremoussov called on the civilian population to leave the regional capital of the same name, Kherson. The Ukrainian military will soon launch an offensive against the city of Kherson, he said. The new supreme commander of Russian troops in Ukraine admitted that the situation in the region was difficult. The situation can be described as tense, Sergey Surovikin said in an interview. In the past few weeks, Russian troops in the region have been pushed back by 20 to 30 kilometers. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin has imposed martial law on regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia. Russia annexed the Cherson region and three other Ukrainian regions in September after referendums that were heavily criticized internationally. Before the war, almost 300,000 people lived in the city of Kherson alone.