The Russian army is undermining the suburbs of occupied Mariupol after having reinforced the perimeter of the city in recent days with concrete blocks, the so-called dragon's teeth.

The advisor to the mayor in exile Petro Andryushchenko writes on Telegram, quoted by UNIAN: "On the Agrobaza-Berdyanske-Shevchenko-Priazovske line, the occupiers have begun to undermine roads and fields and accelerate with the fortification of the city". According to British Defense Ministry intelligence , Russia has started building defense structures around Mariupol to prevent a sudden counter-offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces . Two factories would start producing concrete anti-tank blocks for this.

Meanwhile, Russia makes it known that it "does not set preconditions" for the opening of negotiations with Ukraine , from which it asks for an act of "good will." Kiev replies that it is not willing to compromise on respect for its "territorial integrity", and therefore on the withdrawal of the enemy forces.

The test bed for a possible dialogue will be the southern region of Kherson , which could become the scene of a bloody battle if the Ukrainians decide to attack and if the 30,000 Russian soldiers present are called to resist, after having evacuated most of the civilians. The alternative, hoped for by some, would be the withdrawal of Moscow's forces as part of a broader agreement that would also affect the structure of other regions of the country.

In the next few days there will be "a resolution of events," said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the pro-Russian administration.

(Unioneonline / D)

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