The Russian Federation is building up its forces in the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions, the deputy head of the Main Operative Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksiy Gromov, said.

"The enemy has been building up its forces in the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions. Thus, the enemy moved three battalion-tactical groups to the Krivoy Rog direction, which were carrying out tasks in the Novopavlovsk direction, and also introduced one additional battalion-tactical group in the Zaporizhia direction," Gromov said at a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center in Kiev on Thursday.

He added that the enemy is replenishing lost weapons and military equipment, as well as building up the grouping of troops in the Kherson and partially in the Zaporizhia directions, especially in the Melitopol direction, by rail - through the Kerch bridge and the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea.

"In addition, the territory of Crimea AR is used by the enemy as a bridgehead for the accumulation of weapons, military equipment, ammunition, materiel in order to replenish the losses of groups of troops in these directions," said Gromov.

There is also a relocation of army aviation of the Eastern Military District to operational airfields of the temporarily occupied Crimea, he said. According to Gromov, the aggressor continues to form additional units, reserves for combat operations on the territory of Ukraine, removal from long-term storage of weapons and military equipment to re-supply its troops, which suffered losses, Interfax reported.