Russian cities prepare for mass burials as Kremlin amasses troops on Ukrainian borders
Regulations "On the organization of urgent burial of bodies in wartime" began appearing on websites in several Russian cities, underscoring the possibility that Russia is preparing for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian city councils were instructed to prepare burial sites for those killed during the military campaign.
Among these cities is Cherepovets, where the authorities have begun preparing a local cemetery.
The municipality's statement explains which local agency, in case of war, will work with the Interior Ministry to maintain the storage for the bodies, identification and documentation of the dead.
Similar regulations have previously been adopted in Chekhov, Yekaterinburg and Sakhalin.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ruslan Khomchak, during his speech in the Parliament, reported that Russia is amassing troops along Ukrainian borders.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate said that Russia is ready for large-scale provocations, in particular, to attack deep into the territory of Ukraine.
Last week, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Mark Milley, General Mark Milley, held talks with Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
"We have made it clear that we see threats from Russia and take them very, very seriously," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby later said.
He added that Washington would like Moscow to be "more open" about the troop movements. "While we have learned from the bitter experience to not take at face value the Russians' statements about their intentions," Kirby said.
NATO troops in the next few months will hold exercises in Ukraine, the scenario of which will be "to repel a large-scale offensive of the armed forces of the hypothetical aggressor country," the Ukrainian General Staff said.
"The defensive actions will transition to subsequent offensive to restore the state border and territorial integrity amid the aggression by the neighboring state," the Ukrainian General Staff said.