Russian troops have begun to reinforce their positions in key cities and regions in the south of Ukraine as they prepare for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive, even as the Kremlin’s forces press their onslaught in the Donbas region in the east.
The British Defense Ministry said on July 17 that Russia was moving troops and equipment between Kherson, Mariupol, Melitopol, and Zaporizhzhya, where Russia occupies Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
“Given the pressures on Russian manpower, the reinforcement of the south whilst the fight for the Donbas continues indicates the seriousness with which Russian commanders view the threat,” the British statement said.
The comments come the same day that Britain’s top military commander, Admiral Tony Radakin, told the BBC in an interview that Russia had lost some 50,000 killed or wounded soldiers in its invasion and that nearly 1,700 tanks…
