Russian and Ukrainian troops prepare for major battle in Kherson

Russian and Ukrainian forces appear to be preparing for a major battle in the southern strategic industrial port city of Kherson, an area that Russian President Vladimir Putin has illegally annexed and imposed martial law.

Fighting and evacuations have been reported in the Kherson region as Moscow tries to bring the invaded country to its knees with more missile and drone strikes on critical infrastructure.

Putin declared martial law in the Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions on Wednesday in an attempt to maintain Russian authority in the annexed regions as he faced setbacks on the battlefield, troubled troop mobilization, domestic growing criticism and international sanctions.

The precarious state of illegal annexation of territory is particularly evident in the capital of the Kherson region, where Russian military officials have replaced civilian leaders installed by the Kremlin as part of martial law that took effect on Thursday to defend against a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

It is a major target for both parties due to its key industries and major river port. Reports of sabotage and assassination of Russian officials have surfaced for months in what appears to be one of the most active Ukrainian resistance movements in the occupied territories.

Officials at the Russian installation have urged residents to evacuate to ensure their safety and have allowed the military to build fortifications. As of Thursday, 15,000 residents out of an estimated 60,000 had been relocated from the city and surrounding areas, officials said.

Ukrainian forces have launched 15 attacks on Russian military strongholds in the Kherson region, President Zelensky’s office said on Thursday.

A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said Kremlin forces had repelled Ukrainian attempts to advance with tanks in the villages of Kherson, including Sukhanov, Novakamianka and Chervonyar.

Vladimir Leondyev, a Russian official in the region, said Ukrainian forces launched five missile attacks on the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the city of Kherson. If the facilities were destroyed, a vital canal that supplied water to annexed Crimea would be cut off, he said on Russian television.

None of the claims can be independently verified.

Russia’s new military commander in Ukraine acknowledged this week that Ukraine posed a threat to Kherson’s counteroffensive, which the British Ministry of Defence explained on Thursday as: “Russian authorities are seriously considering a large-scale withdrawal from the area west of the Dnieper.”

Mr. Putin sought to address another problem area on Thursday when he ordered a partial mobilization of reservists last month, which he estimated would end by the end of the month, reaching his goal of 300,000.

He visited a training center in Russia’s Ryazan region to demonstrate progress in addressing training and resupply issues for the newly mobilized troops.

Russian television showed him lying under a net in a field, wearing goggles and ear protectors, and shooting with a rifle. An officer shows Putin and Defense Minister Shoigu with soldiers in bulletproof vests and helmets, armed with weapons. The officer showed off winter boots, clothes, cookware and other supplies — all in an effort to counter images posted by Russians on social media of worn-out or non-existent equipment for the newly mobilized troops.

In another sign of faltering Russian mobilization, Ukrainian authorities said more than 3,000 Russians had called a hotline for soldiers who did not want to fight and demanded surrender.