U.S. and European intelligence officials have been tracking for days that Russia is in the midst of reorienting after encountering fierce resistance — and suffering thousands of casualties — in northern Ukraine. Moscow enjoys greater support in the east, where Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists have been locked in a grinding conflict for many years.
But while Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine’s capital region appears to be complete, with many units retreating through Belarus, the Pentagon has yet to see those personnel reenter eastern Ukraine, the senior defense official said Wednesday.
The United States announced Tuesday night the approval of an additional $100 million in military assistance for Ukraine, a move made in part to ensure Ukrainian forces will have the weapons they need to fight for the Donbas region, the official said, adding that there is particular interest in Javelin anti-armor systems.
The senior U.S. defense official said that even though the war’s epicenter appears to be shifting, threats against the capital remain. “It’s not like Kyiv is somehow immune from further attack,” the official said.
Earlier this week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan predicted that if Russia could successfully regroup in the Donbas region, it may seek to push out from there into other parts of Ukraine.
More than 80 of the approximately 130 battalion tactical groups that Russia deployed into Ukraine continue to operate in the country, the official added, estimating that such groups each contain between 800 to 1,000 troops.
You must log in to post a comment.