Russia is actively bringing in weapons and redeploying regular army officers to Ukraine’s Donbas, according to Ukrainian intelligence
Throughout December Russia has been building up stocks of weapons and bringing Russian regular army officers into the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that are not under Ukrainian government control, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has said in a statement.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow has been actively sending fuel, military equipment, weapons and ammunition, electronic warfare equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicles into Ukraine’s Donbas region.
The Defense ministry said supplies of weapons from Russia were hidden in humanitarian convoys – the convoys of trucks that Russia regularly sends into Ukraine, never allowing the Ukrainian authorities or OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to inspect their contents.
Russia has also increased the supply of armored combat vehicles – both new and restored or modernized – to its proxy forces, the ministry said.
In addition, the Kremlin is sending regular army specialists and mercenaries to the non-government-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the press center added. Among the army specialists are intelligence officers, snipers, artillerymen, signalmen, and specialists in electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.
Russia has been massing troops on the Ukrainian borders since the end of October. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, as of early December the number of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied territories amounted to more than 94,000 soldiers and officers.
By late December this had risen to 122,000, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov said on Dec. 22.
According to satellite images, the buildup of troops on the Ukrainian borders continues.
Western media, citing sources, have reported that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could take place in early 2022 and that the invasion force might number up to 175,000 Russian troops.
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