Russian forces guard bridges on Mariupol-Simferopol highway, expecting Ukrainian counterattack - adviser to Mariupol's mayor

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“According to information from Mariupol, last week large convoys of Russian military equipment passed in the direction of Berdiansk. That is, it is most likely the direction of Melitopol, because the occupiers are reinforcing Berdiansk by another road, across the sea. The Russians themselves are not shy and very loudly discuss that they expect our counterattack. We also see that on the border of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions they maintain reserves, and have taken under guard the bridges that are on the Mariupol-Simferopol highway. That is, the Russian forces are preparing and they have no doubt that our counteroffensive will take place,” the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol said. 

Petro Andriushchenko added that the occupying Russian forces are accumulating various equipment, both old T-62 and new T-72 tanks. In addition, the Russians boast through their propagandists that they brought T-80 or T-90 to Melitopol, but such equipment did not move through Mariupol, so they are most likely fantasizing. However, there is an increase in this direction.

“Regarding the north of the Donetsk region, there has been no movement through Melitopol for almost two weeks, except for isolated cases. Similarly, we do not see much movement in the direction of Rozivka, Polohy, and Orikhiv. That is, we can say that the main direction of the occupiers for the last week is  Melitopol, Berdiansk, and Vasylivka,” Andriushchenko noted.