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Ministry says nationalists plan to blow up bridges across Seversky Donets, blame Russia

They plan to accuse the Russian army of indiscriminate strikes on critical transport infrastructure facilities, said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Center for Defense Control of the Russian Federation

MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, on Tuesday said Ukrainian nationalists rigged with mines bridges across the Seversky Donets River in Nikolayevka in the DPR with the aim of blowing them up and accusing Russia of indiscriminate strikes on transport infrastructure.

"Ukrainian neo-Nazis rigged with mines bridges across the Seversky Donets River in Nikolayevka of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which they plan to blow up and using a tried and tested scenario, accuse the Russian armed forces of allegedly indiscriminate strikes on critical transport infrastructure and then seek a broad coverage of that in Ukrainian and Western news media," he said.

The colonel general said that the Russian forces provide comprehensive assistance and support to civilians during the special military operation, treat the civilian population exclusively humanely and do not strike civilian infrastructure facilities.

He said Ukrainian armed formations continue to use residential buildings, educational institutions and other social facilities for military purposes. According to Mizintsev, Ukrainian nationalists set up a stronghold at school No. 3 in Konstantinovka in the DPR.

"The approaches to the building are rigged with mines, but the local population was deliberately not notified about this," he said.

Mizintsev said that territorial defense militants set up firing positions on the lower and upper floors of residential buildings on Levanevsky Street in Bakhmut of the DPR. "At the same time, local residents are prohibited from leaving their apartments, and all attempts by citizens to evacuate to safe areas are severely suppressed," he said.

Mizintsev also said that the armed forces of Ukraine and territorial defense have been deployed at kindergarten No. 362 and school of arts No. 5 in Kharkov, and heavy equipment and artillery have been placed in the immediate vicinity of the institutions. In addition, Ukrainian armed formations set up ammunition depots and located armored vehicles on the territory of school No. 120 in Odessa.