Russian troops in Luhansk region ordered to leave "scorched" land in case of retreat - military expert Kovalenko

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko shared the information on Espreso TV.

"There is a very interesting phenomenon. Last week, the commanders of Russian troops near Svatove, Kreminna, Rubizhne, Shchastia received an unusual order for this bridgehead. The order states that in case of retreat, they must leave behind "scorched" earth - destroy literally all infrastructure facilities. Treatment plants, substations, hydroelectric power plants, dams - to completely destroy all the civilian infrastructure that they will leave behind during the retreat," he said.

Kovalenko added that the question arises as to why Russian forces in the Luhansk region were the first to receive this order. 

"I do not know what the plans of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are. If there is such an order, then the Russian command is realistically considering the likelihood of retreat from certain locations. It’s clear what events may cause this to happen," the expert concluded.