There are now 76 Russian tactical battalion groups in the Donbass region of Ukraine and the south-east of the country. About 11 of those have been added in recent days, a senior Defense Department official said today.
So-called BTGs typically consist of combined arms elements such as air defense, armor, tactical vehicles, artillery, helicopters, technical and logistical support.
In addition to the 76 BTGs, there are about 22 BTGs north of Ukraine that are likely to be resupplied and refitted, the official said.
About a dozen of those inside Ukraine are attempting to take Mariupol, a key port on the Sea of Azov, the official said.
“Our assessment that Mariupol is still disputed,” the official said. The city remains threatened by heavy Russian air raids and artillery.
There are significant numbers of Russian ground forces in and around Mariupol, the official said.
Should Mariupol fall to the Russians, that would free up about a dozen BTGs that could be deployed elsewhere in eastern or southern Ukraine, the official said. “It’s a big if because the Ukrainians are still fighting very, very hard for Mariupol.”
Ukrainians have reported they believe Russia is preparing to land Russian marines near Mariupol. “We cannot independently confirm this, but we are certainly in no position to dispute it,” the official said.
Further west of Mariupol is another important port city: Mykolayiv. In recent days it has been exposed to Russian bombardment from airstrikes and artillery, the official said.
West of Mykolaiv is the equally important port city of Odessa. “We still assume that the Russian Navy is keeping a distance from Odessa and not getting very close after the Moskva sank,” the official said.
The Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva is said to have been sunk by Ukrainian missiles a few days ago.
The Russians have some amphibious capabilities in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, the official said.
The Russians have at least one tank landing ship in the Sea of Azov capable of landing Russian marines, and there are other ships of the same class in the Black Sea. So far, there is no evidence that an amphibious assault is imminent, the official said.
To the north, Russians continue to bombard Kharkiv’s environs while Russian troops blockade the city, the official said.
In the Joint Forces operation in Ukraine’s Donbass region, the heaviest fighting is taking place around a town called Popasna, the official said.
Fighting also continued in the south and south-east of the Ukrainian city of Izyum, the official said.
“The Donbass region has been a hot war for eight years. Both sides have exchanged geography with some violence over the past eight years, and Ukrainians have a not insignificant force there and they are fighting,” the official said.
Elsewhere, long-range Russian bombers have used cruise missiles in recent days to target both the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the city of Lviv in Ukraine’s far west, the official said.
The Pentagon’s assessment is that they are primarily pursuing military objectives, or what they consider to be military objectives, the official said.
In other news, US Army and Marine Corps 155mm howitzers located in the United States have been destined for Ukraine and will be delivered soon, the official said.
Since Ukrainian armed forces are unfamiliar with this type of artillery, there will be “train-the-trainer” training for Ukrainians outside Ukraine in the coming days, the official said.