Ukrainians await loved ones crossing frontline river

STORY: Olena had traveled to Germany for work just days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February and had been unable to see her daughter since.

Around 20 other people waited gloomily with a group of soldiers and an ambulance at Kherson's river port, to the constant sound of shelling nearby.

Another woman called Olena, 43, said her parents were on the other side.

Military officials in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on Saturday warned fighting in the area could intensify and said they would temporarily lift a ban on crossings to help the evacuation of citizens on the Russian-occupied territory on the east bank.

Under the three-day amnesty which began on Saturday, Ukrainians living in villages across the river can traverse the Dnipro during daylight hours and to a designated point.

Civilians who want to make use of the amnesty, which ends at nightfall on Monday, are required to show proof of Ukrainian citizenship and use their own boats.