On the ninth day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army has exhausted the bulk of its operational reserves, and the transfer of additional forces from the Southern and Eastern military districts has begun, the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Friday.

"The main goal of the enemy is to cordon off Kyiv and weaken resistance in the blocked settlements. In the course of carrying out this task, the groups of the Russian Armed Forces exhausted the bulk of the operational reserves and began to transfer additional forces and equipment from the Southern and Eastern military districts. The second echelons and most of the operational reserves groups of the Russian Armed Forces were put into operation," the statement said.

It clarifies that in Slobozhanschyna direction, units of the 20th Army of the Russian Federation are trying to continue the offensive against the Joint Forces in the Novoaidar and Severodonetsk directions.

In the Donetsk operational direction, the enemy is trying to hold the cordon around the city of Mariupol with the help of six armored battalion tactical groups (BTGs). To compensate for the losses in Donetsk region, Russian curators began to bring in Russian military personnel to the Ilovaisk.

In the Black Sea, Russia's Black Sea Fleet was withdrawn from naval bases with the task of hitting Ukrainian surface forces, but instead mostly victimized civilian ships and their crews.

"Without abandoning its intention to seize the Black Sea coast, the enemy continues to prepare for the landing of an amphibious assault on the Zatoka-Chornomorsk section. Within the specified area, 40 km east of Chornomorsk, there are two large landing ships of the invaders," the General Staff said.