Oleksandr Motuzynyanyk, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated that they expect Russia to launch a very large operation in the east and said, “We expect an active war to start in these regions as soon as possible.” However, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated that they do not think this indicates an operation.
“We’ve seen some indications that there is a movement to the east of Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of the situation on the ground.
Another senior US Department of Defense official, who has not been named, reported that Russia has begun to reinforce its troops and deliver supplies in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski also stated that thousands of soldiers were deployed in the face of a new attack expected in the east of the country. Russia had refused to stop its military operations until the next peace talks.
The American official stated that despite the supply efforts in Donbas, the United States does not believe that this will be the beginning of a new attack in the region.
“We believe this is an effort to reinforce and supply their forces in Donbas, their forces in this area are still in the north of Izyum,” the official said. The town of Izyum is located 180 kilometers north of Donetsk.
The US Department of Defense official stated that the Russian vehicles sent to the region consisted of command and control elements and support personnel for aircraft and infantry units.
Last week, Russia withdrew from the capital, Kiev, and sent some of its soldiers back to Belarus to reorganize.
The official said there was evidence that some of these Russian soldiers were advancing east from Belarus.
Russia stated that the majority of the battalion tactical groups are still in Ukraine, including more than 55 groups in the south.
“More than 10 thousand civilians died in MARIUPOL”
Ukrainian soldiers still hold out as Russian troops resume their offensive in the Russian-occupied port city of Mariupol. Thousands of civilians trapped in the city are believed to have lost their lives.
The mayor of Mariupol said on Monday that more than 10,000 civilians died in the Russian occupation and the death toll could exceed 20,000.
Speaking to the Associated Press (AP) news agency, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that Russian forces brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the bodies, and accused Russian forces of not allowing humanitarian convoys to enter the city in order to hide the massacre.
When asked about the thousands of deaths in Mariupol, as Ukraine claims, Pentagon Spokesperson Kirby said, “It may be. We don’t know. The conflict is still going on. If you look at the photos, it would be inconceivable to say that there will be no civilian casualties or injuries. It could be a serious number,” he said.
Ukrainian military commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in a statement on Facebook that communication with the troops defending Mariupol continues steadily.
Earlier, a Ukrainian division in the city stated on Facebook that their ammunition was exhausted, that they were now between death or surrender, and that the final battle would be waged on Monday.
Petro Andryushchenko, deputy mayor of Mariupol, claimed that the navy’s social media account was stolen and that the message was fake. Reuters news agency could not confirm these reports from the field.
After repulsing Russian troops from the capital, Kiev, Ukraine is preparing for a new Russian offensive in the east of the country. Russia also announced that eastern Ukraine would be its new target in the war.
IF MARIUPOL IS DELIVERED, IT WILL BE THE FIRST LARGE CITY ATTRACTED BY RUSSIA
If Mariupol surrenders to Russia, it will be the first major city Russia has captured since the start of the war. According to the Reuters news agency, if the soldiers deployed by Russia in Crimea contact the soldiers advancing from the east, it is thought that they will be able to surround Ukraine’s main forces in the region.
The United Nations estimates that thousands of people have died in Mariupol, which has been completely cut off from food, electricity and drinking water supplies.
”USA AND ENGLAND PREPARE FAKE CLAIMS”
On the other hand, Moscow claimed that the US and the UK assisted Kiev in preparing false claims about alleged civilian deaths in Ukraine and presenting them to the international press.
Since the withdrawal of Russian troops from the towns and villages surrounding the capital, Kiev, Ukrainian soldiers have been showing journalists civilian corpses believed to have been killed by Russian soldiers, destroyed houses and burned vehicles.
West considers footage of dead civilians to be evidence of war crimes. Reuters news agency reporters also saw civilian bodies in the town of Bucha, but could not independently confirm which side killed them.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the Ukrainian government was manipulated by the United States to plant false evidence on civilian deaths.
“The United States, which has years of experience in provoking human rights victims, continues its campaign of creating and disseminating false evidence,” the ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine accused Russia of genocide and asked for more support from Western countries and NATO.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not show any evidence that the United States and Britain helped Ukraine in creating false evidence.
“SAFETY INCREASED IN THREE REGIONS IN RUSSIA”
Russia said that security measures were increased in three regions on the border with Ukraine “due to possible provocations”.
Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting its border areas. Moscow also blamed Ukraine for the explosion at a fuel tank in the city of Belgorod earlier this month.
Russia reported that it increased security in Belgorod, Voronezh and Bryansk regions and called on civilians to be cautious. On Sunday, it was announced that security measures were increased in Russia’s Kursk region, near Ukraine.