Fears Putin preparing brutal new onslaught
RUSSIA is preparing tens of thousands of troops for battle in eastern Ukraine, officials warned last night.
Vladimir Putin wants to “double or treble” the number of soldiers in the Donbas region for the “defining battles of the war”, Western sources have revealed.
But experts believe it will take “some considerable time” for Russian reinforcements to arrive, giving the West a vital window to provide Ukrainian troops with weapons.
The brutality of the Russian invasion was laid bare yesterday as a heartbroken wife broke down in tears and collapsed after discovering her husband was killed and buried in a shallow grave.
The woman, who has not been identified, is seen in pictures sobbing as she is supported by Ukrainian police officers in the village of Andriivka, where 40 people were allegedly killed by Russian soldiers.
Bloodshed
It is the latest grave to be found in areas deserted by Russian troops.
There are now fears of more bloodshed in the Donbas region.
European Union official Josep Borrell warned yesterday: “I’m afraid the Russian troops are massing on the east to launch an attack on the Donbas. The Ukrainians are very much aware of that.
“So, I’m afraid the war will increase in the Donbas.”
The Ukrainians fear that if Russia successfully takes Donbas, it will then launch another attack on Kyiv.
The Kremlin has kept units in the Gomel region of Belarus and the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia to stretch Ukraine’s defences.
Ukrainian defence ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said the next Russian attack will begin soon.
He added: “We don’t know precisely when, but the preparation is almost over.The Ukrainian army is ready.”
It is feared the Kremlin wants to capture the entire Donbas region after failing to seize the capital. A Western official said: “The Russians are looking to double or even treble the amount of force that they bring into the Donbas area.That is going to take some considerable time, to bring themselves up to that sort of number.
“And even when they bring themselves to that number, there is a question of how effectively they can bring those forces into the battle.
“The Russians have shown themselves to be not very effective in being able to use their numerical advantage to actually bring about a decisive engagement. If they are
brought in, in a sort of piecemeal approach, they may not generate an operational advantage.
“Operating in the way that they currently are, and fighting and then bringing the forces in incrementally, I think creates some difficulties for them in achieving their overall aims.”
Sources said Russian military commanders have endured “40 days of failure” and are desperate for some kind of success.
A Western official added: “We’re still witnessing Russian forces commit some of the errors that we saw previously, which is leading to attrition and then challenges for them.
“We’ve seen numbers of troops unwilling to fight and refusing to engage in operations. We know they’ve got problems with their command and control.
“The strategy is obviously being adjusted and diminished considerably from when they started off, and that is an enormous achievement on the part of the Ukrainian fighters and their government.
Destroyed
“It is also symptomatic of a poorly led, ill-disciplined and frustrated set of Russian troops who have sustained extremely high casualties and are becoming increasingly difficult to lead. Unfortunately they are also becoming desensitised.” Another source added: “Morale, which was not high in the first place, is getting considerably worse.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said tens of thousands of people are likely to have been killed in Mariupol.
He said the southern city had been “burned to ashes”.
Russian forces have been attempting to capture the strategic port on the Sea of Azov since early last month, but were met with fierce resistance from its defenders.
Mr Zelensky said: “Mariupol has been destroyed, there are tens of thousands dead.
“But the Russians are not stopping.”