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Landing by Ukrainian forces at Energodar could be decoy for major attack thrust — official

Vladimir Rogov noted that the Ukrainian army command plans to complete the redeployment of the 46th airborne assault brigade, as well as the 116th and 118th brigades to the Zaporozhye area on April 30

MELITOPOL, April 28. /TASS/. A potential Ukrainian landing at Energodar, signs of which are visible on the right bank of the Dnieper River, could be meant to divert attention away from a larger attempted Ukrainian counterattack in the Zaporozhye Region, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia movement, told TASS on Friday.

"In the area of Nikopol, we are seeing a particularly large number of watercraft, which may be directed toward Energodar, Kamenka-Dneprovskaya and other suburbs. I believe it may be a diversionary strike. <...> A rather large number of fighters are accumulated there, so it is quite possible that they will make the diversionary strike as serious as possible, so that we’ll believe it [is real], and simultaneously they’ll make a parallel strike on a another section [of the line of engagement]," Rogov said.

According to him, on the right bank of the Dnieper, across from Energodar, there are now Ukrainian units with experience in urban warfare. "Quite a long stretch of the river bank west and east of Nikopol, where fighters are accumulating. <...> Among the units that have been identified, there is the Ukrainian 71st jaeger brigade. It took part in the fighting in Artyomovsk. It’s not quite clear why they were moved to Nikopol, given their extensive experience in combat operations in urban areas," Rogov noted.

Rogov told TASS on Thursday that the Ukrainian army command plans to complete the redeployment of the 46th airborne assault brigade, as well as the 116th and 118th brigades to the Zaporozhye area on April 30, in addition to the 12,000 fighters already on the line of engagement near Gulyaipole. According to his assessment, should an offensive be launched in this area, Ukrainian units would avoid fighting in the cities and instead attempt break through to the Sea of Azov east of Melitopol to cut the land corridor to Crimea.