In the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Russia has concentrated approximately 152 000 personnel of Russian troops.
This was reported by the representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Andriy Chernyak in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, intelligence does not see signs of the withdrawal of Russian combat units from these regions. On the contrary, the occupiers are preparing for defense and are forcibly evacuating the civilian population from the occupied territories.
"We are talking about people who either deliberately worked for the enemy or were forced to do so. They are told that hostilities will soon begin there, that this territory will allegedly be shelled and bombed, so they convince them to leave and continue to work with the Russians," Chernyak noted.
Under the pretext of the so-called evacuation, the Russians want to take approximately 3 100 people out of Energodar, of which 2 700 are employees of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). "Energoatom" informs that it is about personnel who signed a contract with "Rosatom". Their deportation threatens the safe operation of the NPP.
- The Russians are taking away looted property, computer equipment, medical equipment and documentation from Energodar. Pharmacies, shops, gas stations are not working in the city, and ATMs have been emptied, legally elected mayor Dmytro Orlov told Radio Svoboda. He connects this with the expectation of a counteroffensive of Ukrainian Armed Forces. There is no internet in the city, and there is also a shortage of food.
- In early May, the occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia region informed about the evacuation of people from 18 settlements, including "Energodar", where the Zaporizhzhia NPP is located. All points within 50-70 kilometers from the front line.