Governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region says Russians preparing large assault

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops are preparing for a big attack in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the local governor Sergiy Gaiday says on Telegram, urging a mass evacuation.

“We see that equipment is coming from different directions, they are bringing manpower, they are bringing fuel,” Gaiday says in a video statement.

“We understand that they are preparing for a full-scale big breakthrough,” he adds.

Gaiday urges residents to leave the region as soon as possible.

“Please don’t wait for your homes to be bombed,” he says in a separate video.

“Do not hesitate,” he adds, specifying that 1,000 people were evacuated today.

A senior Pentagon official says Russia has removed about two-thirds of the troops it had around Kyiv — who were mostly sent back to Belarus with plans to redeploy elsewhere in Ukraine.

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