Ukraine brings 90,000 fighters to eastern Ukraine: Russian media

Pro-Kiev armed forces brought up to 90,000 fighters to eastern Ukraine on Thursday, according to a top official at the Defence Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Russian media reported the armed units had also brought 203 salvo artillery units, five Tochka-U missile complexes and 450 tanks.

Eduard Basurin told the Donetsk News Agency the pro-Kiev troops primarily focused on four sectors: Donetsk, Luhansk, Debaltsevo and Mariupol. "A total of five separate mechanised brigades, two separate tanks brigades, and air mobile brigade, an artillery brigade, and a salvo system brigade have been deployed ... to advance to Mariupol," TASS quoted the official, "All in all, this grouping has 22,500 men and officers, more than 130 tanks, more than 560 armoured cars, fifty-five salvo artillery units, about 200 artillery guns and mortars, and about 720 antitank weapons."

The Russian news agency further reported the pro-Kiev forces concentrated thirteen brigades, one artillery, one tank brigade, one salvo system brigade, one air mobile and two air mobile brigades in the Donetsk sector. One of the brigades, equipped with Tochka-U tactical missiles, was deployed there as well.

According to Basurin, the DPR Defence Ministry has information about Ukrainian armed forces planning an offensive in the Donetsk Region. He said the information came from a source in the Ukrainian General Staff. The ministry official said there were still “true officers” who would not prefer fighting “against their own people.”

According to Ben Judah’s article on The Independent, countries like Poland and Estonia are worried Russia will consider NATO as a “paper tiger.” They fear NATO may repeat Putin’s “hybrid war” in Ukraine by staging uprisings and covering Special Forces whipping up civil.

The author of “Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In And Out Of Love With Vladimir Putin” calls Britain’s decision to withdraw from NATO is a victory for “fantasy politics.”

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