About 35,000-40,000 Russian troops are in Mariupol and district - mayor's adviser Andriushchenko

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“Unfortunately, the enemy's manpower continues to increase not so much in the Zaporizhzhia region, but as a whole. Today, we are observing an increase in the number of Russian troops in Mariupol as well. Also, the tactics of settling the manpower arriving in the city are changing. If earlier they tried to occupy some neighborhoods and place their occupiers separately, now they are located near the administrative center of the city, as well as in the surviving Zahidnyi microdistrict. They break into apartments, loot and settle Russian soldiers there, that is, they make such micro-barracks in every apartment and house,” the mayor's adviser said. 

Petro Andriushchenko added that local people report an increase in the number of the occupying Russian forces, and there are 2-3 times more soldiers than civilians in the city's streets. 

“We see that certain rotations are taking place. Mariupol is used by the occupying forces as a rotation center, as a rear base. There were about 20,000-25,000 soldiers of the Russian army in Mariupol and the Mariupol district before the New Year, but now there are about 35,000-40,000 enemy personnel,” Andriushchenko said.