Most of the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have returned to their bases, which indicates that a new attack is being prepared, spokeswoman for the Southern Command in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Natalya Humenyuk, told Ukrainian TV on Thursday. Most cruise missiles have recently been fired from ships in the Black or Caspian Seas and from strategic bombers.
According to Humenyuk, there are only ten ships left in the open sea, mostly submarines. Typically, there are significantly more. “They flex their muscles at sea for a while, demonstrating their presence and control over the situation, and then head to the bases, where they usually prepare to maneuver for a heavy missile strike,” she explained of her suspicions.
Reznikov: Much larger Russian mobilization
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Moscow had already rallied troops again for the occasion. Moscow could “try something” on the anniversary of the first invasion, around February 24, Reznikov told the BBC. Moscow has mobilized around 500,000 troops for the possible offensive.
Resnikov therefore suspects that the number of Russian soldiers deployed may be much higher than officially declared by Russia. “Officially, 300,000 men are mentioned, but when we see the troops on the borders, we estimate that there are many more,” he told French broadcaster BFM. The mentioned number or Ukrainian data cannot be independently verified.