Invaders designate JFO area, Mariupol, Mykolaiv as main targets - Arestovych

This was stated by Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ukrinform reported from a briefing.

“Now we can say that the enemy has settled a decision on the main directions of their operational efforts. These are, first of all, the JFO zone, the city of Mariupol, and the city of Mykolaiv,” the official said.

At the same time, according to Arestovych, the situation in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions has become somewhat calmer as the enemy is redeploying part of its forces to the southern or eastern parts of Ukraine.

The adviser to the Presidential Office chief recalled that the Russian invaders had attacked the said cities last night and voiced an opinion that it was “an attempt to avenge us for the very skillful job” done by the Ukrainian Air Force, assault, rocket, and artillery forces that had delivered ‘devastating blows’ on the enemy in Kherson region, the JFO zone, and in Kyiv region.

At the same time, Arestovych assured that the Ukrainian authorities controlled the situation.

“The situation remains under control of Ukraine’s military and political leadership. The Army is inflicting powerful blows on the enemy forces in the areas where they have massed,” he stressed.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying infrastructure, massively bombing residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and ballistic missiles.