MELITOPOL, March 6. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military beefed up its battlegroup in the Zaporozhye area to over 30,000 troops, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, told TASS on Monday.
"If we speak about the numerical strength of militants along the engagement line, those who are being amassed in the city of Zaporozhye and on the border of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye Regions, there are a total of about 30,000-32,000 of them there," he said.
The Ukrainian military is amassing militants in the Zaporozhye area to switch over to active operations, Rogov stressed.
"If we talk about the redeployment, some 3,500 Ukrainian militants have been brought into the city just within three days, which is very quickly. Some 12,000 troops have been amassed on the border of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye Regions precisely for an offensive. There is a troop amassment there and this obviously suggests that this [an attempted offensive] will take place in late March - early April," he said.
As of mid-February, there were about 25,000 Ukrainian troops on the Zaporozhye frontline and at least 40,000 personnel need to be amassed for an offensive, the regional official said.