Russia is solidifying its territorial acquisitions in Ukraine by building defensive structures and flooding these areas with military equipment.
In Kherson, officials from the self-declared and Russian-allied government are making appearances on Russian state-controlled media to ask Moscow for the construction of military bases. Deputy Gov. Kyrylo Stremousov told Ria Novosti about his plans earlier Tuesday.
“There must be a military base in the Kherson region. We’re asking the Russian government for it,” Stremousov said.
He added that such a base would be in the interest of everyone in the region and would ensure the protection of the region's residents from Ukrainian “nationalists.”
Russians already have fortified their defensive positions in Kherson, as well as the Mykolaiv region of occupied Ukraine. The latest developments have been reported by the Operational Command South of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Since Russia has not conducted any offensive operations in the southern regions for a while, the command reports, they are bracing for a Ukrainian counter-attack and engineering second and third lines of defenses.
In the Donbas region, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement in Davos, Russia has bolstered its positions with military equipment.
“We don’t have enough gear because we’re fighting a massive country with a massive military force. They, the Russians, have 20 times more military equipment in Donbas right now,” Zelenskyy told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Construction of a new military base in Belarus also is underway, according to the deputy head of Ukraine’s General Staff, Oleksiy Hromov.
“We have information about the military engineering updates that are being made at the Zyabrovka airport in the Homel region of Belarus. The updated airport can very easily be used as a military base,” Hromov said.
