Zaporizhzhia Region: Russian troops shell their own vehicles to avoid going to front

Iryna Balachuk – Monday, 9 May 2022, 08:50

In an attempt to avoid taking part in hostilities in Zaporizhzhia Region, Russian soldiers have shelled 20 of their own vehicles.

Source: Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration on Telegram

Quote from Zaporizhzhia Military Administration: "According to local residents, Russian troops have shelled 20 of their own vehicles in Polohy in order to avoid going to the front line; they blamed the shelling on [Ukrainian] resistance fighters in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia."

Details: A battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia Region reported that Russian troops deployed Solntsepek, a multi-barrel rocket launch system, on their own positions, thereby essentially "scorching" the Russian occupiers off Ukrainian land.

According to the Zaporizhzhia Military Administration, the morale of the Russian troops remains low: they regularly consume alcohol and flee from the locations where they are supposed to carry out their military service. Russian units also complain about the ineffectiveness of their attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces near Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia Region.

The Military Administration added that on the eve of 9 May, residents of Tokmak, Polohy District, reminded the Russian occupiers that they were in Ukraine only temporarily. For example, leaflets reading "We defeated Nazism – we will defeat Ruscism" began to appear on the streets of the city.

The Region’s government warned that the invaders might be planning to stage provocative actions on Victory Day, 9 May. There is a possibility that Russian troops disguised as the Armed Forces of Ukraine might attack groups of civilians, throw charges of explosives into crowds, and open fire on people and infrastructure.

In light of this tense security situation, there will be temporary restrictions on leaving the city of Zaporizhzhia; it will still be possible to enter the Region’s administrative capital via evacuation corridors.