Russian presence in parts of southern Ukraine grows

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Russian presence in parts of southern Ukraine grows

Russia's presence in parts of southern Ukraine is becoming more tenuous as Ukrainian long-range systems - many of which are supplied by Western allies - target their supply lines, Ukrainian officials said.

Ivan Fedorov, mayor of occupied Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, said the destruction of a railway bridge southwest of the city had complicated Russian resupply routes.

He said Russians had stepped up security in Melitopol, checking the local population. Mass mass mass filtering of local civilians continues in Melitopol, in people's homes, on the streets, he said.

Fedorov said Russian security service FSB Russian reserve guards and special Chechen units were present in the city.

Up to 6,000 people were waiting in line for evacuation, he said. People wait for five to seven days, spend the night on the roadsides. He said it is quicker to leave through Crimea, because people use this route as well.

Kherson attacks: Serhii Khlan, an adviser to the head of Kherson Civil Military Administration, told Ukrainian television on Monday that persistent attacks by Ukrainian forces on bridges across the Dnipro River had caused serious difficulties for Russian forces.

A large part of the Russian occupying force is located on the right northern bank of the Dnipro, in Kherson city and further upstream. Khlan claimed that Russians had moved their command headquarters to the southern bank of the Dnipro.