SIMFEROPOL, March 16. /TASS/. Russian forces are in full control of the line of contact on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson Region, Acting Governor Vladimir Saldo said on Thursday.

"Currently, Russian forces fully control the line of contact on the left-bank side. There aren’t many Ukrainian troops in the city of Kherson, as they are afraid to stay there. They only appear in the daytime, coming from the direction of Nikolayev," he told reporters after a reception dedicated to the ninth anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

Saldo also said that the Ukrainian armed forces continued to carry out strikes on Kherson in order to blame Russian troops for shelling the city. "The situation makes it more and more clear that they are concerned that an offensive may be launched soon. They have begun to remove valuables from the city’s art museum and local history museum, and they are trying to force the remaining doctors there to relocate to western Ukraine. Free bus service to Nikolayev and Odessa has been set up, but demand is low because people are starting to look forward to our return," the acting governor added.