Klitschko advises Kyiv residents to consider temporarily leaving city

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko advised residents with friends or relatives outside the capital to consider leaving temporarily. In an October 8 interview with AFP, he stressed that he was not calling for a full evacuation.

Klitschko said intensified Russian strikes were threatening the city's infrastructure ahead of winter. He described daily reports of destruction and casualties and said the situation had become a matter of survival. RIA Novosti and other outlets carrying AFP's report published his remarks.

The mayor said Kyiv authorities were stockpiling fuel, food and drinking water and preparing backup heating systems. Those measures were intended to address possible disruption to essential municipal services.

He warned that even thorough preparations could not rule out a bad outcome if air defences failed to repel attacks. His advice about temporary relocation was directed at residents able to leave and did not amount to an announcement of a mandatory evacuation.