General Staff: Russian troops storm and bomb Mariupol, partially blockade Kharkiv, and are preparing provocations
Valentyna Romanenko – Sunday, 17 April 2022, 18:47
Russian occupation forces are active on Donetsk and Tavriia fronts, storm the Mariupol seaport, and continue preparations for a referendum on the creation of the so-called "Kherson Republic."
Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 17 April 2022
According to the General Staff: "The enemy continues its full-scale aggression against our country. Russian occupiers continue carrying out missile and air strikes on industrial and civilian infrastructure facilities in Ukraine."
Details: There was no active fighting on the Volyn and Polissya fronts.
On the Siverskyi front, there is a possibility of missile strikes from the territory of the Russian Federation on military and civilian infrastructure of Ukraine; Russia might deploy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
On the Slobozhanskyi front, Russian troops continue to partially blockade the city of Kharkiv and are firing on the positions of Ukrainian troops as well as critical infrastructure facilities.
On the Donetsk and Tavriia fronts, Russian troops intensified hostilities. They continued to launch missile and bomb strikes on the city of Mariupol, deploying Tu-22M3 strategic bombers to this end. Russian occupying forces also attempted to carry out assault operations on the Mariupol seaport and the Azovstal plant.
On the South Bug front, the main efforts of the Russian troops are still focused on maintaining their positions. Near the town of Vasylivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian troops have been seen painting over the Z signs on their machinery and equipment and planting Ukrainian flags – their goal is assumed to be carrying out provocations.
The General Staff notes that the news about the sinking of the Moskva missile cruiser are gaining considerable public response in the Russian-occupied Crimea. The local residents are growing distrustful of the information disseminated by the official Russian media, the report by the General Staff said.
Due to the lack of personnel, Russian troops are trying to enlist local residents in the temporarily occupied territories. Forced mobilisation of men has begun in the city of Izium.
Preparations for an illegal referendum on the proclamation of the so-called "Kherson People’s Republic" continue in some territories temporarily occupied by Russia. To falsify its results, it is planned to use personal data of residents of the region collected by the occupiers during the distribution of what they said was "humanitarian aid." Local residents are also being told that after the results of the pseudo-referendum will be available, they will be "mobilised" to join the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
According to the General Staff: "During the training activities before the deployment of units [of the Russian army] to participate in the war with Ukraine conducted at training grounds in the Russian Federation, there were more than 50 cases of unauthorised withdrawal from the field camps by personnel.
Ukrainian defenders are holding the defence and gradually pushing enemy troops back on some fronts. Let’s win together! Glory to Ukraine!"
