Russia is ready to send up to 1,000 mercenaries to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, he told CNN a senior US Western intelligence official.
The US has already seen “some indications” that Russian mercenaries may be involved in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine “in some places”, a senior defense official said earlier this week, but it was not clear exactly where or in what numbers.
“We have seen some indications that they are being employed,” the official said.
Some Russian forces have struggled with morale problems and setbacks on the battlefield, including a huge convoy north of Kiev that has been largely stopped in recent days.
Mercenary forces would strengthen signaling units, the official said, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second weekend.
The official added that the US believes that the mercenaries already in Ukraine “performed poorly in facing tougher-than-expected resistance from the Ukrainians”, and that around 200 of these mercenaries had already been killed in the war as of late February. .
Meanwhile, US and Western officials expect Russia to increase the pace and force of its attacks on key Ukrainian population centers, including the capital Kiev, from where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has delivered firm but defiant messages against Russian aggression. .
Russia Prepares to “Bomb Cities into Submission”
Russia now appears poised to “bomb cities into submission,” a senior Western intelligence official said Friday, which could include a significant increase in civilian casualties.
“It’s a very rude approach,” the official said. “Heavier weapons are not only heavier, they are also heavier in terms of the damage they can inflict. And they are much less discriminatory.”
Other officials have noted a shift in Russian strategy from military to civilian targets, with more attacks focusing on population centers. The new approach comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to get the quick victory he wanted, and the Russian military faced tough and determined Ukrainian resistance across the country.
In the face of resistance, attacks will increase, officials warned.
“The next few days are likely to be worse, with more deaths, more suffering and more destruction, as the Russian armed forces bring in heavier weapons and continue their attacks across the country,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, this Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the sentiment during a press conference in Brussels on Friday, where he is meeting with European allies.
“The Kremlin attacks are inflicting an increasing number of civilians there,” Blinken said. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainians were killed, many more injured, as well as citizens of other countries. More than a million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries. Millions of people across Ukraine are trapped in increasingly dire conditions as Russia destroys more critical infrastructure.”
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Source: CNN Brasil
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