An "unusually large" number of fuel trucks were seen moving toward Berdyansk. For the first time this summer, trucks with manpower were seen moving through Mariupol in the direction of Volnovakha.
A significant increase in the presence of Russian troops was reported in the Mariupol district by Andriushchenko, adding that trucks with ammunition were seen moving towards Berdyansk.
Moscow created a “development plan” for the temporarily occupied Mariupol, where it plans to increase the city’s population by about 300,000 through migration from Russia, said the Defense Ministry's National Resistance Center.
Strike announcements were being made in the city on the day when Russia plans to hold sham "elections of council members," Mariupol City Council reported on Aug. 17.
Mariupol has been occupied by Russian invaders since May 20, 2022, after several months of defense by Ukrainian soldiers. Preliminary reports indicated that Russia killed at least 25,000 people in Mariupol through the bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure. To hide traces of their crimes, Russia brought mobile crematoria to Mariupol and forced local residents to bury the dead in mass graves on the outskirts of the city.