Dozens of buses take residents of occupied Zaporizhzhia region to Crimea and Russia

This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration Yuriy Malashko.

"They say there will be a counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army. We understand that the money they offer is a trick. They bring civilians to Berdiansk. Then they go to Crimea or to the Donetsk region. We must understand that they are doing this to make the local population afraid of the Ukrainian army, not them. But some people are returning to their homes because they think they might be robbed," said Malashko.

Local media published videos of the evacuation of Ukrainians.

Dozens of buses are taking people away.

It is reported that Ukrainians are being taken not to Berdiansk, but to Crimea and Russia.

• On May 3, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that Russians were going to apartments in the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region and checking residented for Russian passports.

• On May 6, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that Russian troops in Melitopol were hastily burning documents and taking away equipment.

• Local residents report that the owner of Russian Mera stores has already fled Melitopol.  

• The Russian "authorities" in the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, are resettling Russians in the homes of residents who have moved to the Ukrainian government-controlled territory.