Russian forces are trying to paralyze Ukraine’s air defense system, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military said in an interview on Sunday, as quoted by CNN.

In Kharkiv, three Russian missiles were spotted, fired over Ukraine from the Belgorod region of the Russian FederationPhoto: Vadim Belikov / AP / Profimedia

“They (Russian troops) are testing and trying to exhaust our air defense system. They are trying to find a way around it. And they are also expanding their tactics, because they do not have a stable supply of means with which to act,” said the spokeswoman of the Southern Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Nataliya Gumenyuk.

According to Humenyuk, the Russians are trying to “test and find out where the air defense systems are located.”

The spokeswoman also commented on the recent evacuation of the civilian population from the Zaporizhzhia region by the Russian authorities, calling it “an abdication of responsibility to local residents.”

According to her, this is a standard practice that the Russians have used before.

“They are trying to evacuate people to where they have created their defense lines and where they are deploying their units to cover the local population,” Humenyuk said.

Analysts suspect that the southern region may become the main target of Ukraine’s supposed counteroffensive.

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