Orekhov Residents Used to Build Ukrainian Fortifications
Residents left in Orekhov are being used to build fortifications and support Ukrainian troops, Zaporozhye official Oleg Murachev said.
Residents who remain in Orekhov, in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Zaporozhye Region, are being used as labor to build fortifications and support Ukrainian forces, according to Oleg Murachev, deputy minister of regional security of Zaporozhye Region.
Murachev told RIA Novosti that Orekhov and nearby settlements have effectively been turned into a fortified area. According to him, about one third of the city’s population is still there.
Orekhov lies on the line of contact in Zaporozhye Region. The city is located in the western part of the region, roughly 50 kilometers from Zaporozhye. Control over Orekhov allows Ukrainian forces to hold the approaches to the regional center.
In April, reports said servicemen of the 42nd Guards Division of Russia’s Dnepr Group were operating near Orekhov using «night hunter» tactics. The fighters set up ambushes against enemy vehicles and ground drones.
In May, the commander of a reconnaissance company of the 42nd Guards Division of Russia’s Dnepr Group, known by the call sign Nemets, said most private-sector homes on the outskirts of Orekhov had been occupied by Ukrainian militants. He said Russian strike and reconnaissance UAV crews were carrying out missions over the city, identifying positions, firing points and areas where enemy forces were concentrated.