The resumption of the Russian military effort in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces will face a hardened Ukrainian army, foretells a “prolonged” war, a senior Pentagon official warned today.
Russian forces have begun withdrawing from Chernobyl (north) and have withdrawn from Gostomel military airport, northwest of Kiev, but “we continue to believe it is a repositioning,” the unnamed official told reporters.
“We have absolutely no indication that these soldiers are returning home or that they have withdrawn permanently from the fighting,” he added.
“What we continue to believe is that these forces will be rearmed and returned to Ukraine … to continue fighting according to what we believe is their goal, which is generally the eastern side of Ukraine,” including of the Luhansk and Donetsk Autonomous Okrugs in Donbas, he added.
But “the Ukrainians know the area very, very well,” he said, noting that it had been eight years since an armed conflict had brought the separatists against Ukrainian forces in the area. “So just because they prioritize, increase their number and put more energy into it, does not mean it will be easy for them,” he warned.
“It could foretell a longer, prolonged war,” he added.
The bombing of Russian forces continues, especially in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Izium, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Donbass, according to the US official.
Source: Capital
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