British Intelligence: War in Ukraine About to Enter New Phase

Russian forces are massing in the south of Ukraine in anticipation of the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or in preparation for a possible assault. Long convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks, towed artillery, and other weapons continue to move away from Ukraine’s Donbas and are headed southwest.

“Russia’s war on Ukraine is about to enter a new phase, with the heaviest fighting shifting to a roughly 350km front line stretching southwest from near Zaporizhzhya to Kherson, paralleling the Dnieper River,” reads the Twitter publication of the UK’s Ministry of Defence citing British intelligence data.

As noted, equipment is reported to be moving from Russian-occupied Melitopol, Berdiansk, Mariupol and mainland Russia via the Kerch Bridge into Crimea.

“Battalion tactical groups (BTG), which comprise between 800 and 1,000 troops, have been deployed to Crimea and would almost certainly be used to support Russian troops in the Kherson region,” reads the report.

It is noted that on 2 August 2022, a new BTG had been deployed to Crimea and BTGs are also being re-deployed from Eastern Grouping of Forces. These will most likely be sent into the Kherson region in the coming days.

According to the British intelligence data, Ukrainian forces are focusing their targeting on bridges, ammunition depots, and rail links with growing frequency in Ukraine’s southern regions. These targets include the strategically important railroad spur that links Kherson to Russian-occupied Crimea to affect Russia’s ability to resupply logistically.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the total combat losses of the occupiers from 24 February to 6 August approximately amounted to:

• About 41,900 personnel
• 1,802 tanks
• 4,051 armored personnel vehicles
• 955 artillery systems
• 260 MLRS
• 127 anti-aircraft systems
• 223 aircraft
• 191 helicopters
• 744 UAVs of operational-tactical level
• 182 cruise missiles
• 15 ships / boats
• 2,970 vehicles and fuel tanks
• 85 special equipment units

Over the past day, the invaders suffered the biggest losses in the direction of Donetsk.

Bohdan Marusyak