Russia reportedly transferring equipment, troops from Kherson Oblast to Zaporizhzhia front

Russia appears to be transferring equipment and troops from Kherson Oblast to the southeastern Zaporizhzhia front where a Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway, Ivan Fedorov, an exiled mayor of Melitopol, said on June 18.

Speaking on television, Fedorov said local residents in Melitopol, a city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast occupied by Russia since March 2022, witnessed Russian equipment and troops arriving from the directions of Nova Kakhovka and Kakhovka in occupied territories of Kherson Oblast. These cities suffered catastrophic floods after Russian forces blew up the major Kakhovka dam on June 6.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify Fedorov's claims regarding Russia's transfer of equipment and manpower to the Zaporizhzhia front.

Fedorov's claims come as Ukrainian forces continue to take the initiative on the battlefield roughly two weeks into the long-anticipated counteroffensive.

Russian proxy officials and military bloggers in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have reported large offensive operations by Ukrainian forces, equipped with Western-provided heavy weaponry.

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The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko