Russia will likely be concerned about the series of explosions that took place in occupied Mariupol, which is located nearly 80 km from the front, the British intelligence writes in its daily update.
"Since 21 February 2023, pro-Russian officials have reported at least 14 explosions around the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.
Sites of the incidents have included an ammo cache at the airport, two fuel depots, and a steel works that Russia uses as a military base. Mariupol lies at least 80km away from the front line.
Russia will likely be concerned that unexplained explosions are occurring in a zone it had probably previously assessed as beyond the range of routine Ukrainian strike capabilities.
Although widely devasted earlier in the war, Mariupol is important to Russia because it is the. largest city Russia captured in 2022 that it still controls, and sits on a key logistics route."
The explosions in Mariupol are likely part of Ukraine's impending offensive, which, according to the former commander of the US army in Europe Ben Hodges, will aim to liberate occupied Crimea.
Explosions in Russian-occupied Mariupol suggest Ukraine has long-range missiles
