The world is talking about the statements of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov. Fedorov explained in a program how Ukrainian farmers stopped Russian soldiers. Fedorov announced that ‘Operation Cherry’ caused mass sickness among Russian soldiers.
The war, which started on February 24 with the order of Russian President Putin, continues at full speed.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, one of the cities subjected to the most intense attacks of the Russian army, made statements revealing the extent of the resistance against Russian soldiers.
According to the news in the New York Post, a group of Ukrainian farmers stopped Russian soldiers with poisoned cherries.
BITTER SURPRISE FOR RUSSIAN SOLDIERS
Noting that Russian forces had stolen the crops, the mayor said: “Knowing this, our farmers prepared a surprise for them. They sprayed poisonous substance on all the cherries.
This statement quickly went viral on social media. Social media users dubbed this plan of Ukrainian farmers ‘Operation Cherry’.
ABDUCTED BY THE RUSSIAN ARMY
Fedorov was kidnapped by Russian forces on the 17th day of the war.
Making a statement on the kidnapping, President Vladimir Zelenski stated that this incident violated all international norms and reacted harshly against Russia.
9 SOLDIERS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE
After his kidnapping, Fedorov’s fate was soon on the world agenda and the mayor was freed following an agreement between the two countries.
It was announced that 9 Russian soldiers captured during the war were returned to Moscow in exchange for Fedorov’s release.
The mayor, who was once held captive by the Russians, explained that poisoned cherries had caused a ‘mass illness’.
Fedorov did not share any information on how many Russian soldiers the farmers killed with this method.
RUSSIA STILL DOESN’T EXPLAIN ITS CASUALTIES
Ukraine claims that over 20,000 Russian soldiers have survived the months-long war.
Russia, on the other hand, has refused to disclose military casualties for months. Moscow made its first and last official statement on the issue on March 2.
In the said statement, Russia’s military loss in the war was announced as 498. This data has not been updated since then.
MORE THAN 300 OFFICERS KILLED
While the Russian government rarely provides updates on the number of deaths suffered by its armed forces, announcements by local authorities and newspapers indicate that more than 300 officers have died in combat.
Russia faced a similar military crisis when it invaded Afghanistan. Soviet troops were first sent to the region on December 24, 1979 on the orders of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, and nearly 15,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in the 10-year war.
LED THE SOVIETS TO DESTRUCTION
The 1979 invasion of Afghanistan is considered one of the factors that led to the Soviet collapse. The Soviet army withdrew from the country in 1989 and the cost of the war to Moscow was devastating.
Shortly after the withdrawal, the Soviet Union disintegrated, giving birth to 15 countries, including Ukraine.
