Kyiv (Portal) – The Ukrainian army on Sunday accused Russia of large-scale destruction of civilian ships moored on the banks of the Dnipro River in the occupied southern Kherson region that Kiev’s forces are attempting to capture.
Ukrainian forces are putting pressure on Russian troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River, which bisects Ukraine, fueling speculation that Moscow’s troops are preparing to withdraw to the other side.
The spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement that fuel from the wrecked ships leaked into the river’s delta and accused Moscow’s armed forces of having appropriated the ships’ engines and other equipment.
The Ukrainian General Staff gave no explanation for Moscow’s actions. Destroying civilian ships would prevent Ukrainian forces from deploying them should they decide to get to the eastern side in the event of a Russian withdrawal.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry.
The statement fit a pattern of rising tensions in the region, where Russian-installed occupation officials said on Sunday that an act of sabotage had shut down electricity and water supplies in the city of Kherson and a number of settlements.
(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; Editing by William Maclean)