Russians preparing for offensive, redeploying all troops from Belarus to eastern Ukraine – intel report

"The enemy completes the regrouping of its troops. All battalion tactical groups that have so far been amassed in Belarus, near our northern borders, are now redeployed to eastern Ukraine. Moreover, the enemy now tries to identify the vulnerabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to launch a large-scale offensive and reinforce its success, primarily in the Donetsk operational area," Vadym Skibitsky, representative of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, said during the nationwide telethon.

Regarding the reports of the alleged decision of the occupiers to stop the assault on the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the Defense Ministry representative said that, according to military intelligence data, the Russian leadership was lying as always.

"According to the Chief Directorate of Intelligence data, the Russian leadership is lying as always. Yes, they may refuse to carry out a large-scale assault on this facility but, according to our data, they plan to involve the Russian Guard and other agencies, including the FSB, to continue to attack the Azovstal plant to destroy our resistance,” Skibitsky commented.

On Friday, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk expressed hope that people from Mariupol would probably be able to evacuate on April 23.

Soldiers of the Azov Regiment, Marines and motorized riflemen continue to defend Mariupol.

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