- President Vladimir Putin introduced martial law on Wednesday (19 October) in four Ukrainian regions he says are part of Russia as some residents of the Russian-occupied city of Kherson left by boat after Moscow warned of a looming assault.
- Eight months after being invaded, Ukraine is prosecuting major counter-offensives in the east and south to try to take as much territory as it can before winter after routing Russian forces in some areas.
- The city of Kherson had a pre-war population of around 280,000 people, but many of them have since fled.
Russia’s Putin declares martial law in seized Ukrainian regions
