Russia is bringing new navy items into Kherson because it prepares to defend town from any recent Ukrainian offensive, the pinnacle of Ukraine’s Protection Intelligence Company mentioned in an interview with Kyiv-based information web site Ukrainska Pravda.
Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov mentioned that, whereas Moscow was shifting injured individuals, money and the Russian-installed administrative authorities and monetary establishments out of town, it was placing extra troops in.
“[Russian bank] Promsvyazbank and different monetary buildings that the Russians introduced there are being taken out,” Budanov mentioned.
“They’re taking out money, [internet] servers, the so-called occupation authorities … All of the non-walking, critically injured are being taken out, they’re attempting to discharge those that can stroll as quickly as doable from hospitals … They create the phantasm that every thing is misplaced,” added Budanov.
“And on the similar time, quite the opposite, they bring about new navy items there and put together the streets of town for protection.”
Budanov mentioned Moscow was performing out of worry that Ukrainian troops would possibly retake the essential Kakhovka dam, which lies to the east of Kherson, and encircle its troops within the metropolis.
“They perceive that if we take no less than management over the Kakhovka dam … they must decide in a short time. Both [they will have to] very, in a short time go away town and get out, or they danger ending up in the identical scenario that our items in Mariupol discovered themselves in earlier,” he mentioned.
“Understanding all this, they’re making ready the bottom in order that, if obligatory, they’ll get out of there in a short time. Nonetheless, they aren’t making ready to go away now. They’re making ready to defend.”
Budanov repeated allegations that the Russians had “partially mined” the dam.
He mentioned he didn’t consider Russian forces would utterly destroy it, as a result of doing so would flood a lot of the Kherson area and reduce off the water provide to annexed Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant.
“In different phrases, should you make a whole destruction, then the state of affairs is as follows. Are they prepared for it? I don’t suppose so,” he mentioned.
