Melitopol mayor: “Evacuation” of occupiers is going too fast, they may be preparing provocations

Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, says that the Russian "evacuation" from the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is happening too quickly, and huge queues have formed at the Chongar checkpoint on the road from Melitopol to Crimea. Source: Fedorov on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast and on Telegram Quote: "The partial evacuation they announced is going too fast, and there is a possibility that they may be preparing for provocations and doing it precisely among civilians."

Details: Recalling the way things happened in Tokmak, Fedorov said that starting from Friday, buses or convoys of buses depart from the city once every 20-30 minutes, carrying "only a third of civilians, and the rest are disguised military personnel." According to the mayor, these buses mostly go to Berdiansk, where civilians stay, and military personnel continue to be taken to Mariupol. Also, in Tokmak, there are crazy queues for bread, and most gas stations are out of gasoline.

Fedorov also stated that the "evacuation" is not just taking place in those 16 settlements the invaders have publicly announced. "Using the example of my native Melitopol, we can see the following picture: since yesterday, buses have been standing on the territory of the Gymnasium No.1 and the central Peremohy Square, taking away mostly collaborators and those insane who agreed with the invaders to go somewhere there.

Additionally, today, the Russians left some administrative office buildings. For example, they left Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street, 70, where their propaganda Z-TV was located, the executive committee of the Melitopol City Council at Hrushevskyi Street, 5, and other administrative buildings, burning all the documents there," the mayor said. At the same time, on Telegram, he posted a photo of queues at the Chongar checkpoint on the way from occupied Melitopol to Crimea.

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"The occupiers played their part in the 'evacuation': they provoked much panic and just as many queues... The military and holders of special passes are out of line. Trucks with looted goods come in a separate queue.

Moreover, thousands of cars must wait at least 5 hours," he wrote.

Background: On 5 May, Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-appointed "head" of occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, announced a partial evacuation of the local residents from 18 frontline settlements:Tymoshivka, Smyrnivka, Tarasivka, Orlianske, Molochansk, Kuibysheve, Pryshyb, Tokmak, Mala Bilozerka, Vasylivka, Velyka Bilozerka, Dniprorudne, Mykhailivka, Kamianka-Dniprovska, Enerhodar, Polohy, Kinski Rozdory and Rozivka.

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