According to a senior Pentagon official, Russia is resupplying and bolstering its invading force in eastern Ukraine with a lengthy convoy of vehicles going to the area, signaling a new phase of the conflict is likely to unfold there.
The convoy, as seen in commercial satellite images, is around eight miles long. It looks to include vehicles for commanding and supplying infantry troops, as well as maybe helicopters, according to the officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was providing intelligence assessments.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has warned of an oncoming Russian attack in Ukraine’s east and advised citizens to escape the area.
In a speech to South Korean legislators transcribed by NBC News, he said, “The invaders have dispatched tens of thousands of troops and massive amounts of weaponry to plan future assaults.” A similar warning was made Monday by Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
According to a Pentagon official, some Russian soldiers participating in the unsuccessful effort to capture Kyiv’s capital look to be heading east. According to the source, there are roughly 60 Russian battalion tactical units in eastern and southern Ukraine, with 48,000 to 60,000 men.