An aerial view shows the city of Kherson, Ukraine on May 20. (Photo: Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s Kherson region will be administered by a joint administration with the Russian military after martial law is implemented, Moscow-appointed governor of the region Vladimir Zalto told Russian state media RIA on Wednesday.

“The martial law says that power in the regions should be transferred to the military according to the law. We are doing these works together with the military. Now we have transferred almost the entire apparatus of the military-civilian administration to the left bank. , they will work there. All activities necessary for life will be organized,” Salto was quoted as saying by RIA.

The Kherson region, located in southern Ukraine, is not fully under Russian control. Western countries have denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexations as a violation of international law and vowed not to recognize them as Russian territory.

Amid warnings about Russia’s ability to withstand a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian-backed leaders of the Kherson region began a massive evacuation of up to 60,000 people on Wednesday.

According to Zalto, more than 7,000 residents have already left the Kherson region.

“We are evacuating people to make it easier for the military to do their jobs and to protect civilians,” Salto said, adding that evacuation efforts were being made in several directions.

According to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson regional administration, with the support of Russia, the introduction of martial law on the territory of the Kherson region will make it easier for the army to carry out combat operations.

“The introduction of martial law will simplify some of the army’s tasks. We will no longer play the games we have been playing for almost seven months. There will be no more talks with the Nazis,” Stremosov told the channel on Wednesday. A broadcast by Russian state television.

Earlier this Wednesday, Putin signed a decree to establish martial law in four Ukrainian regions that the Kremlin claims to have annexed, in violation of international law.