The Kremlin said on Monday that it assumed that the Ukrainian army used a local ceasefire last week in and around the Russian-held southern town of Oleshky to regroup, something it called normal practice, but said it had no specific information on whether Russian forces had done the same.
– Ukraine’s General Staff on Monday accused Russian forces of using the ceasefire to strengthen their military positions, saying they had rotated units, fortified positions, expanded anti—drone measures along roads, and increased logistics activity, including deliveries of ammunition.
– Asked about the Ukrainian allegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call:
– “Such questions are best directed to our Ministry of Defence. But in this case, it is safe to assume that the Ukrainian armed forces also used this period to regroup and so on. This is standard practice in such situations. But I am not familiar with the specifics (regarding Russian forces).”
– He also said that no similar local ceasefires modelled on Oleshky, which allowed humanitarian aid to be delivered and residents to be evacuated, were planned for now.