Residents evacuated from Kherson as Russian shelling intensifies

Amid intensified Russian bombardments, a harsh winter, and no electricity, water or heating, the Ukrainian government, along with various volunteer organisations, evacuated some elderly from the southern city of Kherson on Sunday.

Russian forces struck eastern and southern Ukraine early Sunday as utility crews scrambled to restore power, water and heating with the onset of snow and frigid temperatures, while civilians continued to leave the southern city of Kherson because of the devastation wreaked by recent attacks and their fears of more ahead.

With persistent snowfall blanketing the capital Kyiv on Sunday, analysts predicted that wintry weather - bringing with it frozen terrain and grueling fighting conditions - could have an increasing impact on the conflict that has raged since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than nine months ago.

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Both sides were already bogged down by heavy rain and muddy battlefield conditions, experts said.

After a blistering series of Russian strikes on infrastructure that started last month, workers were fanning out in around-the-clock deployments to restore key basic services as many Ukrainians were forced to cope with only a few hours of electricity per day - if any.