The number of Russian troops in the Mariupol area is now 10 times higher than it was in September, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, has said.
According to him, this indicates the deployment of a contingent of about 10,000-15,000 occupiers in Mariupol District.
The Russian military, who arrived from the Kherson sector, settled in apartments on the coast of Mariupol District from Urzuf village to Melekine village. The largest concentration is in the area of Yuryivka village - village Nova Yalta and Bilosarayska Kosa village - Melekine village.
"All empty boarding houses and recreation centres are occupied. They arrive together with military equipment, which they set up in the places of deployment," he said.
The deployment of a communication point in the village of Yuryivka, deployment of at least 30 tanks on the territory of one of the agricultural enterprises in the village of Yalta, deployment of personnel in the villages of Manhush, Nikolske, Kalchyk and near the Aslanov station near the village of Makedonivka have been recorded.
According to Andryushchenko, the occupiers also started moving military columns to Zaporizhzhya Region.
At the same time, new units of Russian Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov arrived in Mariupol and are concentrated in the central district.
"Their arrival coincided with the beginning of the work of a new de facto gauleiter - a reindeer breeder from Russia, which confirms the data on Kadyrov's control over Donetsk Region," said Andryushchenko.
He also noted that every day at least 30 Russian trucks with personnel transit through Mariupol in the Donetsk direction. Most of them are newly mobilised.