Five loud explosions were heard in Russian-occupied Mariupol’s southwestern Prymorskyi neighborhood, Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, reported on Feb. 7.
According to Andriushchenko, explosions likely occurred at the site where Russian occupiers had recently brought air defense systems and some other military equipment. Andriushchenko did not provide further details.
Following the explosions, Andriushchenko reported that “a large number of Russian aircraft were spotted above the city.”
Earlier on Feb. 4, Andriushchenko said that within the past week, the number of Russian soldiers around Mariupol had increased by 10,000-15,000.
"Overall, we can talk about approximately 30,000 occupiers, concentrated in Mariupol and the region," the official wrote on Telegram.
Russia's brutal two-month-long siege of Mariupol left most of the 450,000-strong city in Donetsk Oblast in ruins.
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