Russians in WOT lose influence and resort to violent punitive actions - Malyar

The Russians try to fight the Ukrainians and conduct a total filtration of the local population through searches. They often take people away for interrogations - not everyone is returned home.

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Anna Malyar said this.

According to her, Ukrainians in parts of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson oblasts demonstrate distrust of the occupiers and disregard the orders of the local administrations. The reason for this is the Russians' inability to maintain an acceptable level of subsistence for the local population.

Truthful information about the situation on the frontline and the devastating consequences of the Russian occupation is spreading more and more among citizens, and the number of pro-Ukrainian residents is growing," Malyar said.

To combat the pro-Ukrainian population, the invaders have launched mass punitive actions. Anna Malyar cites the example of the village of Kirillovka in Zaporizhzhya.

For several days, [the settlement] was cordoned off by Russian troops, during which a total filtration of the local population was carried out, as well as searches of local infrastructure and citizens' homes," the deputy minister said.

She stressed that citizens were checked for whom the Russian Federal Security Service had received denunciations of support for Ukraine. Most people were detained and taken out for interrogations. Part of the people did not return, while their fate is unknown.

As a reminder, several explosions took place today near military units and occupier bases in Luhansk and Donetsk regions and in Tokmak. In addition, residents of Luhansk reported communication problems.