Kim denies information about a possible Russian offensive in Mykolaiv region: «This is part of the IPSO»

Vitalii Kim denied information about Russian troops preparing to attack Mykolaiv region. Photo: Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, has denied information about the possible preparation of Russian troops for an offensive in Mykolaiv region.

He said this on the air of «Espresso online».

According to him, there are no signs of Russian troops preparing for an offensive in the south, and talk of a possible attack on Mykolaiv region is disinformation.

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«This is part of the Russian IPSO (information and psychological operation) to make their capabilities absurd, so that we agree and do not think about other conditions, such as a ceasefire or something like that. They are not preparing for an attack on the right bank of the Dnipro, not even in Kherson region. Mykolaiv region is out of the question, as well as Odesa — it's not even close to being a possibility. If such preparations were being made, our intelligence would have recorded it, and I would have seen it personally,» said Vitalii Kim.

In addition, according to him, the Russians do not have enough people, so they are moving their reserves from the south to the east — towards Donetsk, closer to Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions.

«The Russians do not have any reserves: on the contrary, they are moving the forces that were here to the east, towards Donetsk, closer to the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions. On the contrary, they are withdrawing people from here because they lack personnel and are using reserves. At the same time, the media are spreading statements about an alleged offensive in Mykolaiv and Odesa regions to confuse us, and we are responding to this. In fact, this is not the case: they do not have enough people, so they are taking forces from the south and moving them to the east,» added Vitalii Kim.

Shelling of Mykolaiv region on 13 December: what is known

At night and in the early hours of 13 December, Russian troops attacked critical and industrial infrastructure in Mykolaiv and the region. As a result of the shelling, settlements in Bashtanka and Mykolaiv districts were left without electricity. Restoration works are currently underway.

Later it became known that five people were injured in the Russian attack in Mykolaiv on 13 December. Critical and industrial infrastructure, as well as the private sector, were damaged.

According to Vitalii Kim, three people were hospitalised — a 43-year-old man, a 48-year-old woman and a 16-year-old teenager. They are in moderate condition. Two more people were treated on an outpatient basis.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych added that it was one of the most massive attacks in Mykolaiv and the region in recent times.

As of the morning of 14 December, it became known that three private houses in Mykolaiv were destroyed as a result of a massive combined Russian attack, and 78 other houses were damaged.

Yesterday, Vitalii Kim said that the power supply in Mykolaiv region would be restored in two stages:

1. Temporary electricity restoration will last 3-4 hours.

2. Full restoration of the grids and return of power supply to «as it was before» is expected within two days.