Ukraine claims Russian troops regrouping, camouflaging as locals in civilian clothes

Amid the Russian military offensive against Ukraine which continues for day 48, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has issued the latest information regarding the ground situation in the war-torn nation. The ministry stated that Russian troops have been working to regroup and relocate military units to areas of focus in the Belarusian and Voronezh regions in Russia. According to the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, cases of hostility in civilian clothes have been "noted."

Meanwhile, the Operational Command South, Ukraine, in the statement, said, "At the same time, in Mykolaiv region, looking for desperate ways of diversions, dressed up racists on 3 civilian cars tried to pretend to be a group of evacuated local residents who got lost. Moving under such cover, to our positions, the occupiers tried to attack, but received a decent response." 

Russian forces will likely make efforts to take control of Mariupol, Popasna and attack Kurakhov to come inside the administrative borders of the Donetsk region, it added.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry accused the Russian armed forces of flouting the rules of international humanitarian law and continuing to store military equipment in residential buildings. Russian armed forces placed equipment in the building of agricultural enterprises, energy and social infrastructure facilities, and the central area of settlements in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions. According to the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, the Russian troops continue to partially block Kharkiv city and the armed forces of Russia lead combat operations in Izium.

The Russian armed forces have been carrying out an aerial survey to identify the position of Ukrainian soldiers and their routes of deployment. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated that the Russian forces conducted combat actions in the Donetsk and Tavrij directions. In terms of losses for Russia, according to the latest update, the Ukrainian armed forces have destroyed four tanks, five units of armoured equipment, 26 automotive equipment and eight artillery systems. The Ukrainian armed forces were impacted by seven air targets including one plane, two helicopters and four unmanned aircraft. 

About 19,600 Russian troops killed: Ukraine Defence Ministry

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has stated that about 19,600 Russian troops have lost their lives ever since the onset of the invasion. The ministry has mentioned that Russia has lost 1,946 combat armoured machines, 349 artillery systems, 111 MLRS, 732 tanks, 140 helicopters, 157 aircraft, 63 anti-aircraft warfare systems and 1,406 vehicles. Furthermore, 76 fuel tanks, 124 unmanned aerial vehicles, seven vessels including ships and boats, 25 special equipment and four mobile SRBM system of Russia have been destroyed in the military aggression against Ukraine.

(Image: AP)