Russia may use the silence around occupied Oleshki to improve its tactical positions and increase its military presence in the city. This was stated by political expert and Director of Communication Group Vladimir Manko on the air of “Kiev24“.
According to him, Russian forces can take advantage of the temporary ceasefire introduced for the evacuation of the civilian population to deliver additional soldiers and build better fortified positions.
“Our country must do everything to prevent such a scenario“, Manko said.According to the expert, after the evacuation of civilians, the Russian military can increase the number of its units in Oleshki. He explained that at the moment this is more difficult due to the possibility of Ukrainian drones striking during the movement of Russian forces.
Manko admitted that under the guise of a humanitarian operation, Russia can strengthen its positions and then end the regime of silence. He called on the Ukrainian military to closely monitor the movement and actions of Russian units in the area.
Evacuation regime introduced
The ceasefire regime in the Oleshki area began at 3:00 on October 27, Kyiv time. It covers certain territories related to the conduct of a humanitarian mission to evacuate civilians from the city and surrounding areas.
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubynets reported that the parties were complying with the agreements reached. Later, Pavel Drogal, spokesman for the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy, stated that the Russian side was observing the regime of silence in the area where the humanitarian mission was being conducted.
Oleshki is located on the left bank of the Kherson region and is under Russian control. The introduction of the temporary ceasefire was agreed by Ukraine and Russia in order to evacuate the civilian population. For the Russian side, the beginning of the regime was announced at 4:00 Moscow time, which corresponds to 3:00 Kiev time.
Manko's warning is related to the possibility that the humanitarian corridor could change the military balance in the area. So far, the confirmed data relate to the beginning of the regime and its observance during the mission, while the claim about a possible Russian strengthening of positions remains an expert's assessment.
Sources: unian.net, pravda.com.ua, hromadske.radio