Russian troops are conducting a “massive recovery” of the three southern troops of Ukraine in what seems to be a change in tactics by Moscow, a senior advisor for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
Russian troops have taken over Ukraine’s second largest power plant, Presidential Advisor Oleksiy Aestovych in an interview posted on YouTube. Russian -supported troops had previously announced the arrest of the Soviet era Vuhlehirsk factory in East Ukraine.
“They reached a small tactical excellence – they captured Vuhlehirsk,” Aestovych said.
Aestovych said Russia appeared to be switching from violations to strategic defense, using tactical attacks in an effort to weaken the potential of Ukraine offensive in the important donetsk industrial area.
“(This will) put us in a position where we cannot free all our territories and call on the conversation,” he said.
Ukraine has explained that she intended to reclaim the southern city of Kherson, who fell into Russia on the early days of the war.
Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the Ukraine National Security and Defense Council, previously tweeted that Russia focused “the number of maximum troops” towards Kherson but did not provide details.
Aestovych said Russia also sent troops to the Melitopol and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south.
Ukraine has fired an important bridge that straddles the Dnipro River in Kherson, closing it on traffic. Russian officials previously said they would turn to the Ponton and Ferry Bridge to get troops across the river.
