In Mykolaiv, Russian forces are resorting to forced mobilisation from Donetsk and Luhansk
The Russian forces are sending forced conscripts from the temporarily occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Mykolaiv to divert attention.
Source: Head of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitaliy Kim, via Telegram
According to Kim: "Just to be clear, they’re no longer sending military transports, but van loads of people. Ordinary people from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics have been taken, locked up and forced to come here. It isn’t just that they aren't soldiers. They say, ‘We want to go home, we would walk back if we could, but there are anti-retreat units stopping us.
It looks like they are doing this to divert our attention, but there’s also shelling."
Details: According to Kim, the situation in Mykolaiv is stable.
The Russian forces are continuing their established practice of deploying in a field, conducting several rounds of bombardment and then retreating to an inhabited area, using the civilian population as cover. This means the Ukrainian forces can't fire back, as that risks civilian casualties, and therefore they are currently seeking alternative approaches.
The Russian forces are also actively using bot farms and robocalls to spread misinformation, using Ukrainian phone numbers. Kim has asked the population to be careful not to believe potential misinformation.
