Putin boosts Russia's war footing as battle looms for Ukraine's Kherson

A Ukrainian national flag rises over a local council's headquarter building, heavily damaged during Russia's attack in the village of Lymany near a frontline in Mykolaiv region, Ukraine October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV/MYKOLAIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin ordered all of Russia to support the war effort in Ukraine on Wednesday, as the Russian-appointed administration of Kherson prepared to evacuate the only regional capital Moscow has captured during its invasion.

Images of people using boats to flee the strategic southern city were broadcast by Russian state TV, which portrayed the exodus on the Dnipro river as an attempt to evacuate civilians before it became a combat zone.