General Staff of Ukraine announces latest situation on front

Russian forces are forcibly relocating the population of Mariupol to the occupied territories of Donetsk oblast, Report informs, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The main efforts of the Russian Federation are focused on preparations for the offensive operation in eastern Ukraine, which aims to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

"The Russians continue to be active in the Slobozhansky, Donetsk, Pivdennobuzsky, and Tavriya directions. In the Slobozhansky direction, they continued to blockade the city of Kharkiv and carry out artillery shelling. In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, the Russians continue artillery shelling of the settlement of Popasna. The goal is to set fire to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and resume the offensive on Rubizhne, Nyzhne, and Novobakhmutivka. The Russian invaders also tried unsuccessfully to break through the defenses of our troops in the area of ​​the settlement of Novotoshkivske.

"In the South Buh direction, they are defending previously occupied borders, taking measures to restore the combat capability of its units. Continues to carry out strict filtration measures in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region.

"Some of the withdrawn Russian units are located in tent camps in a number of regions of the Russian federation bordering Ukraine. The Russian servicemen refuse to take part in further hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. The moral and psychological condition of this personnel is low and tends to deteriorate.

"The Command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continues to look for ways to solve the problem of replenishing its units with human resources. Russia's military commissariats have stepped up work with conscripts who have been discharged from military service since 2012 and have military specialties of a driver, mechanic-driver, scout, and junior commanders. The official reason for the call to the military registration and enlistment offices is to hold a training meeting on the specified military specialties for a period of 3 months. Also, on the territory of the so-called Transnistrian-Moldavian republic, appropriate propaganda work is being carried out with the residents with Russian citizenship.

"The Russian invaders continue to use violence against civilians in the temporarily occupied territories. The population of Mariupol is being forcibly deported to the temporarily occupied districts of the Donetsk oblast.

"The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had hit three air targets in the previous day: a cruise missile, a UAV, and a fighter jet. The Air Force continued to launch missile and bomb strikes on the occupying forces," the General staff said on Facebook.