SIMFEROPIL, Jan 22 Two officers of an elite special forces unit in Zaporozhye region the Ukrainian army went over to the side of the Russian troops, said the chairman of the movement «We are with Russia», a member of the main council of the regional administration Volodymyr Rogov in the Telegram channel. two officers of the elite special forces followed suit,» he wrote.
On Friday, the official said that in the Zaporizhia direction, cases of members of the Ukrainian territorial defense units switching to the side of Russia have become more frequent. According to him, this process intensified about a month ago.
Earlier on Sunday, Rogov said that the offensive actions of the Russian army in this region are concentrated in the area of the cities of Orekhov and Gulyaipole. The other day, he also reported that the Armed Forces were able to take four settlements under operational control. According to the Ministry of Defense, the village of Lobkove has been liberated, and units of the Eastern Military District have taken more advantageous positions.
Zaporozhye Oblast became a Russian region following a referendum in which 93.11 percent of those who voted were in favor of joining. The same decisions were made in the Kherson region, Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. On September 30 last year, President Vladimir Putin signed agreements with the heads of these regions on the admission of new territories to the country.
Now Russia controls 75 percent of the Zaporozhye region. Ukrainian troops hold the regional center — the city of Zaporozhye.