Filenews 10 April 2022
A large convoy, consisting of Russian tanks and artillery units, "caught" new satellite images heading towards the besieged areas of Eastern Ukraine, apparently confirming the Russians' intention to throw the burden on Donbass. At the same time, the Ukrainians are concentrating their forces and preparing to face Russian attacks, as they are not prepared to cede their territories.
The images, taken by Maxar Technologies late Friday and released, show the nearly 13-kilometre-long military convoy crossing the town of Velykyi Burluk and heading south, via an arc currently controlled by Russia. According to analysts, this procession is intended for the front lines in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Russian forces withdrew from key strategic positions around Kiev last week, following stiff resistance from Ukraine's armed forces, making it known that they would focus on Donbass.
At the same time, however, the losses that Ukraine has inflicted on the Russian army are so great that the Kremlin has reportedly resorted to recruiting retired soldiers to fill in the gaps that have been created, according to sources in the UK's Ministry of Defence.
The same information indicates that Vladimir Putin has turned to personnel who were demobilized or evacuated as early as 2012 to replace his fallen soldiers and officers, with Ukraine's armed forces bringing the number of Russian dead to nearly 20,000.
The Russian army is also believed to be recruiting soldiers from Moldova's Transnistria region, which in March was designated an occupied area of Russia by the Council of Europe.
The Kremlin's efforts to replenish its fighting force come, at a time when a top Ukrainian official said Ukraine is ready to "retaliate against the blows" to Russia in the eastern region of Donbass before returning to negotiations with Putin.
Mihailo Pontoljak, one of the Ukrainian president's closest advisers and head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, said late last night that "Ukraine is ready for great battles. Ukraine must win them over, including Donbass. Once this happens, Ukraine will have a stronger negotiating position. After that the presidents will meet."
Source: protothema.gr
