Putin is ‘preparing fresh
attacks in Ukraine as he moves reserves across Russia to Ukraine
border’, the British Ministry of Defence reports after Kremlin warned fighting
‘hasn’t started in earnest yet’.
‘Russia is moving reserve
forces from across the country and assembling them near Ukraine for future
offensive operations,’ defence sources said today.
However, they claimed that
Russia’s kit is antiquated and dilapidated, adding: ‘Many of its reinforcements
are ad hoc groupings, deploying with obsolete or inappropriate equipment.’
A large proportion of the new
Russian infantry units are probably deploying with MT-LB armoured vehicles
taken from long-term storage as their primary transport, Britain’s Ministry of
Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin.
A regional governor warned
today that Russian forces are managing to ‘raise true hell’ in Ukraine’s
eastern industrial heartland despite reports claiming they were taking an
operational pause.
Another Ukrainian official
urged people in Russian-occupied southern areas to evacuate quickly ‘by all
possible means’ ahead of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Deadly Russian shelling was
reported in Ukraine’s east and south.
The governor of the eastern
region of Luhansk, Serhyi Haidai, said Russia launched over 20 artillery,
mortar and rocket strikes in the province overnight and its forces were
pressing toward the border with the Donetsk region.
‘We are trying to contain the
Russians’ armed formations along the entire front line,’ Haidai wrote on
Telegram.
Last week, Russia captured the
last major stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk, the city of
Lysychansk. Analysts predicted Moscow’s troops likely would take some time to
rearm and regroup.
But ‘so far, there has been no
operational pause announced by the enemy. He is still attacking and shelling
our lands with the same intensity as before,’ Haidai said.
