A spokesman for the Ukrainian military claimed in an interview on Sunday that Russian forces are attempting to weaken Ukraine’s air defense system.
“They (Russian forces) are testing and trying to exhaust our air defense system. They are trying to find a way around it. And they are also expanding their tactics, because they do not have a stable stock of the means that they can operate with,” said Natalia Humeniuk, Ukraine’s Operational Command South spokesperson.
Russians are trying “to test and find out where the air defense systems are located,” according to Humeniuk.
Southern Ukraine evacuations
The spokesperson also addressed the recent expulsion of civilians from the Zaporizhzhia region by the Russian government, describing it as “an imitation of care for the local residents.”
This is a standard practice that was used by Russians before, she said.
“They are trying to evacuate the people to the places where they set up their own defense lines and where they are setting their units in order to use local civilians as a cover,” Humeniuk claimed.
Analysts believe Ukraine’s projected counteroffensive may focus heavily on the southern area.
Source : CNN
