Explosions have been heard in Russian-occupied Melitopol amid growing rumours that Ukraine is laying the groundwork for a counter-offensive.
Ivan Federov, the ousted Ukrainian mayor of the city, wrote on Telegram: “An explosion was just heard in the northern and western districts of the city. We are clarifying the information.”
There have been reports over the past couple of weeks of more explosions than usual around the town. On Monday, a car bomb reportedly injured a pro-Russia local politician in Melitopol.
It comes as Ukraine ramps up its plans to conduct a counter-offensive in the coming weeks.
Russian forces are also reportedly building up their forces in preparation for an attack and apparently trying to get local people to leave the town.
The city, which has a pre-war population of 150,000, was captured by Moscow in the first days of the invasion last year.
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