Nikolaev today is preparing for the offensive of the Russians from the territory of Crimea, and the invaders may also try to cordon off the city. This was stated by the mayor Alexander Senkevich during an interview with the UP, adding that defense facilities are being equipped there today..

According to him, because of the Crimea, Russia is accumulating weapons and resources in the Kherson region..

“We see that Russia is transferring weapons and military resources through Crimea. We see that they accumulate them in the Kherson region. And yes, we expect an attack or siege of the city of Nikolaev. Already today we are preparing fortifications together with our military. Both on the outskirts of the city and inside. Our utilities are now playing the role of a construction battalion. We build, pour, concrete. In addition, we are still pulling Russian military equipment from the fields. So I will say briefly: we are preparing for a full-scale invasion,"

He added that Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson are important for Russia in two directions - maritime and economic..

" And the second (it is even more important) is the economic. Because in fact, Ukraine today, first of all, is an export state, and most of all we earn by exporting agro-industrial products, that is, grain, oil, and metal. All of this export was largely via the sea.. The ports of Greater Odessa and Nikolaev as a whole handled about 85% of the entire transshipment of Ukraine. Therefore, of course, they need to cut off Nikolaev, cut off the ports of large Odessa, and this will have a great negative impact on the economy of our state,"

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Recall that on April 25 in the Nikolaev region, Ukrainian defenders took control of 5 settlements. During the day, 73 people from the personnel of the Russian army and 7 pieces of equipment were destroyed, including the Pantsir C1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system, automotive and armored vehicles.