The Pentagon warned Monday that Russia is sending reinforcements of materiel and troops to the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, ready to launch a major offensive at any time.
US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told a news conference that there is an influx of artillery equipment, helicopter support and other items to facilitate Russian command and control operations in Donbass.
“We believe they have increased the number of their tactical battalion groups in eastern and southern Ukraine,” Kirby said.
Typical of the Russian Armed Forces, tactical battalion groups are units of between 600 and 800 soldiers that demonstrate a high level of preparation for highintensity combat using various types of weapons.
Picture: UOL Art.No
Kirby noted that Russia has deployed more than 10 new tactical battalion groups to eastern Ukraine in recent days.
“We continue to see a concentration of bombing and artillery attacks in the Donbass and in the south, especially around Mariupol,” the spokesman commented, noting that Ukrainians in that city are still resisting.
Despite preparations to focus his offensive on Donbass, Kirby recalled that this part of Ukraine had been the scene of fighting for the past eight years and the past few days.
In fact, the US spokesman claimed that the Ukrainians made some progress in the Donbass and managed to “secure” several locations.
“We believe that the Russians shape and set the conditions for future offensive operations,” he added.