New mobilization in Russia?

Announcement fuels rumors – Kremlin is silent on Makiivka deaths 

Created: 01/11/2023 04:53

By: Florian Naumann, Patrick Mayer, Christian Stör

Is the Kremlin planning a new mobilization?

Russia attacks in Donbass with large forces.

The news of the military battles.

• New

  mobilization

  in

  Russia

  ?

  Announcement fuels rumours

• Ukraine

  attack

  on

  New Year: Russia is silent on Makiivka deaths

• Russian

  success in the

  Ukraine war

  ?

  Soledar in the Donbass appears to be largely under Russian control

Update from January 10, 8:30 p.m .: Ukraine is preparing for new Russian attacks in Kyiv.

All information in the new news ticker.

Update from January 10, 5:10 p.m .:

Russia apparently shot at the currently fiercely contested city of Soledar in the Donbass a total of 86 times on Tuesday (January 10).

This was announced by the Ukrainian military commander of the region, Serhiy Cherevatii, according to the Ukrainian news

.

According to the commander, Putin's army used "various artillery systems" for the shelling.

The Russian army has suffered "colossal losses" but is still trying to capture the small town in the Donetsk region, sources say.

The city was "virtually destroyed".

According to the British secret service, large parts of the city are now under Russian control.

Update from January 10, 3:18 p.m .:

The Dnipro River in southern Ukraine is currently a natural obstacle between the Ukrainian and Russian troops who have positioned themselves east and north of the bank.

But that could change soon: Apparently, the Ukrainians have artificially reduced the water level of the river so that it could soon freeze over.

The Ukrainian troops could use this for a front push - and thus possibly gain a decisive advantage.

New mobilization in Russia?

Announcement fuels rumours

Update from January 10, 2:15 p.m .:

Ten months after the start of the Ukraine war, Russia announced a modernization of the district military replacement offices.

Databases should be updated and cooperation between local and regional authorities improved, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, according to the Interfax agency.

The news could fuel rumors among the Russian population that the political leadership is preparing a second mobilization.

The Ukrainian secret service also assumes this.

The Kremlin, however, denies this.

Russian soldiers are being prepared for the war in Ukraine at a training ground.

© IMAGO/Vitaly Timkiv/SNA

In order to be able to send more soldiers to the front in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin drafted in around 300,000 reservists last fall.

The convening offices were largely responsible for the implementation of this order.

In many places, however, chaotic conditions during recruitment were described at the time.

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Defense Minister Shoigu also announced improvements to combat drones and jets.

In addition, the so-called nuclear triad should be further developed, he said.

The term describes three types of nuclear weapons: land-based ICBMs, airborne delivery systems and submarines with ICBMs.

Ukraine attack on New Year: Russia is silent on Makiivka deaths

Update from January 10, 1 p.m.:

On the night of January 1, at least dozens and possibly hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian attack in Makiivka in the Donetsk region.

While Ukraine spoke of 400 soldiers killed, Moscow only admitted at least 89 dead in its own ranks.

Russia apparently does not want to publish a list of the soldiers killed either.

According to the independent Russian news agency

, the military commissar of Russia's Samara Oblast said so.

The losses in Makiivka were probably among the largest in the Ukraine war for Russia.

In Makiivka, an attack on New Year's Eve destroyed a building used by Russian troops.

Around 400 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed and 300 others wounded.

© RIA Novosti/Imago

Update from January 10, 11:45 a.m .:

Russia has further intensified its attacks on the Sumy region in north-eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian sources, Russian forces attacked four communities in the oblast almost 100 times within 24 hours.

"During the day the enemy carried out 94 attacks on the communes of Shalyhine, Krasnopillia, Bilopillia and Yunakivka," Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy regional military administration, posted on Telegram.

No deaths or injuries were reported.

The day before, the Russian army had already attacked the border communities of the Sumy region 144 times.

Russian success in the Ukraine war: Soledar in the Donbass is apparently largely under Russian control

Update from January 10, 10:10 a.m .:

Russian forces have apparently taken large parts of the small town of Soledar under their control.

According to the British Ministry of Defence, regular troops and units of the Wagner mercenary group have been able to take advantage of strategic advantages in recent days.

"Russia's Soledar Axis is most likely an attempt to encircle Bakhmut from the north and cut Ukrainian lines of communication," the Defense Ministry in London said in its daily intelligence briefing.

A badly damaged apartment building in Soledar, Donetsk Oblast.

© Libkos/dpa

Soledar is located about ten kilometers north of the strategically important city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region claimed by Moscow.

Bachmut remains the primary target of the Russian offensive, it said.

The advance to Soledar should encircle the city from the north and cut off Ukrainian lines of communication.

Situation in Soledar: Selenskyj describes the situation as highly tense

Update from January 10, 7.45 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has described the situation in the heavily contested city of Soledar in the eastern region of Donetsk as highly tense (see update from January 9, 10.30 p.m.).

His Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar also spoke of massive Russian attacks.

Despite the difficult situation, Zelenskyy assured: "Even if the occupying forces have now concentrated their greatest efforts on Soledar, the result of this heavy and prolonged struggle will be the liberation of our entire Donbass." The resistance of the Ukrainian soldiers in Soledar gave the whole army time, according to the head of state.

"The battle for Donbass continues."

Deputy Defense Minister Maljar had previously reported that the Russians were continuing to carry out heavy attacks on Soledar.

"After an unsuccessful attempt to capture Soledar in the Donetsk region, the enemy regrouped, changed tactics and launched a new, violent attack," Maljar wrote on Telegram.

On the Russian side, it is primarily members of the notorious mercenary group Wagner who are deployed.

Update from January 9, 10:30 p.m

.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has described the situation in the heavily contested city of Soledar in the eastern region of Donetsk as still very tense.

"It's very difficult: There are hardly any intact walls left there," said Zelenskyj in his video message on Tuesday night, looking at the Ukrainian soldiers in the badly damaged city.

At the same time, he assured: "Even if the occupiers have now concentrated their greatest efforts on Soledar, the result of this heavy and prolonged struggle will be the liberation of our entire Donbass." The resistance of the Ukrainian soldiers in Soledar buys the whole army time, Zelenskyj said: "The battle for Donbass continues."

The battle for Donbass continues.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

Update from January 9, 9:10 p.m

.: According to the authorities, 15 people were injured in a suspected Russian attack on the city of Ochakiv in Mykolaiv Oblast, including a 2-year-old child.

According to the Ukrainian media project

, Governor Vitaliy Kim reported this Monday.

Ukraine reports violent Russian attacks: Donbass city of Soledar threatens to fall

Update from January 9, 8:10 p.m

.: Ukraine has reported ongoing heavy attacks by Russian forces on the city of Soledar in the east of the country.

"After an unsuccessful attempt to capture Soledar in the Donetsk region, the enemy has regrouped, changed tactics and launched a new, violent attack," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Telegram this Monday.

On the Russian side, it is primarily members of the notorious mercenary group Wagner who are deployed.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had previously spoken of a difficult situation in Soledar and in neighboring Bakhmut.

At the same time, he had confirmed that the Ukrainian army still had both cities under its control.

Soledar and Bakhmut are part of the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the conurbation between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

From the Russian point of view, the capture of this area would be a significant step towards the conquest of the entire Donbass - one of the Kremlin's war aims.

Soledar: Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi of the Ukrainian army gives instructions in a dugout.

© Roman Chop/AP/dpa

Update from January 9, 7:15 p.m

.: A US senator justifies new billions in payments from the United States for military aid to Ukraine by comparing the fighting against Russia in the Donbass with “trench warfare” from the First World War.

And he reminds of Adolf Hitler.

Alleged Russian rocket attack on market in northeast: According to Ukraine, two people are killed

Update from January 9, 6.45 p.m

.: According to the authorities, at least two people were killed in a Russian rocket attack on a market in northeastern Ukraine.

The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, said in the online service Telegram that six people were also injured in the attack on a market in the village of Shevchenkove on Monday.

Photos showed burning market stalls and firefighters amidst debris.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army announced that "fierce" fighting continued for the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy has concentrated the maximum of combat-ready forces there," said the spokesman for the army's eastern command.

Among them are units of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

As Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Sunday, the situation in Soledar, 15 kilometers northeast of Bachmut, is "very difficult".

According to Ukrainian intelligence services, Russia is also preparing new attacks on the country's energy system as temperatures have dropped.

Apparently an attack on a residential area in Cherson: the governor reports dead and injured

Update from January 9, 4:53 p.m

.: In Kherson, Governor Yaroslav Yanuschevich reported an attack on a residential area with one dead and one injured.

The governor of Donetsk in the east of the country, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported a "massive" attack on the town of Kurakhivka, in which at least two people were injured and around 20 houses damaged.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army announced that "fierce" fighting continued for the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian intelligence services, Russia is also preparing new attacks on the country's energy system as temperatures have dropped.

Russia's army is probably advancing near Bakhmut: Ukrainian armed forces are said to be planning a retreat

Update from January 9, 12:38 p.m .:

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports on progress in the Bakhmut area.

Accordingly, the spokesman for the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic (LNR), Ivan Filiponenko, told the TV channel

that the Ukrainian military was withdrawing from Soledar.

The commander of the 61st Independent Mechanized Brigade, which is to form the backbone of Ukraine's defenses in the Bakhmut area, is said to have instructed his subordinate battalion commanders to organize the withdrawal of the remaining units.

The settling movement should take place from the evening and at night.

According to Filiponenko, the brigade command plans to withdraw the troops as unobtrusively as possible.

But the preparations did not go unnoticed by the other Ukrainian units in the city.

The information cannot be verified independently.

Battles for Bachmut: Pro-Russian separatists report success

Update from January 9, 11:31 a.m .:

According to their own statements, pro-Russian separatists have taken over a village near the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which has been heavily fought for months.

The village of Bakhmutske was "liberated by the armed forces of the Russian Federation," the separatist authorities said on Monday in the online service Telegram.

The AFP news agency was initially unable to independently verify the information.

The village of Bakhmutske is north-east of Bakhmut and just before the town of Soledar, which is also being fiercely fought over.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening video message on Sunday that the area between the two cities was "one of the bloodiest places on the front lines".

After attacks, clouds of smoke rise into the air over the outskirts of the city of Bakhmut.

(Archive photo) © Libkos

Fighting in the Ukraine war: satellite images show destruction in Bakhmut

Update from January 9, 10:10 a.m .:

Maxar Technologies, a US company that manufactures and operates satellites for earth observation, has released images of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

Outskirts of the city can be seen, with the satellite images showing the situation before August 1, 2022 and after January 4, 2023.

Significant damage to buildings and infrastructure can be seen.

There is currently heavy fighting over Bachmut.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his armed forces withstood the attacks of the Russian army.

(See update of January 8, 10:40 p.m.)

After the Makiivka disaster: the Russian Defense Ministry apparently invents a retaliatory attack

Update from January 9, 7:21 a.m .:

Hundreds of soldiers are said to have been killed in a Ukrainian attack on a Russian base in Makiivka on New Year’s Eve.

Now on Sunday (January 8), the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had carried out a "retaliatory operation" against the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine is said to have lost more than 600 soldiers in the attack in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

However, this claim seems to have no basis whatsoever.

The "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW) reports in its current situation report (January 8) that a Finnish reporter visited the site of the attack in Kramatorsk.

All he found was an empty school.

In this school building in the Donbass city of Makiivka, many Russian soldiers are said to have been killed in a Ukrainian attack.

© RIA Novosti/imago

Several Russian military bloggers reacted negatively to the Russian Defense Ministry's claim, according to information from the US think tank.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Defense is said to have invented the "retaliation operation" instead of holding the Russian leadership responsible for the losses.

Update from January 8, 10:50 p.m .:

Hundreds of Russian soldiers are said to have been killed in a Ukrainian bombardment on Makiivka in the Donetsk region.

An alleged survivor now puts it down to a speech by Vladimir Putin.

Heavy fighting for Bakhmut and Soledar: According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian army is holding out

Update from January 8, 10:40 p.m .:

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian armed forces are repelling Russian attacks near Bakhmut.

"Bachmut is holding up despite everything," he said, according to ARD's "Tagesschau" in his evening speech on Sunday.

"Soledar is holding out, even if the destruction is even greater and the situation is very difficult.

This is one of the bloodiest places on the front,” said Zelenskyy about the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk conurbation in the Donetsk region.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar had previously reported that the military situation in Soledar, 14 kilometers from Bakhmut, was now very difficult.

Soledar holds out even if the destruction is even greater and the situation is very difficult.

This is one of the bloodiest places on the front lines.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Shot your own soldiers?

According to Kyiv, Moscow deployed the Russian National Guard for this purpose

Update from January 8, 9:05 p.m .:

Moscow is said to have used the Russian National Guard to shoot six soldiers from its own ranks.

This is what the Ukrainian General Staff wrote in its evening statement on Sunday.

The incident is said to have occurred on January 5, in the south of Zaporizhia Oblast.

"In order to maintain military discipline and prevent panic from spreading among the troops," the Russian soldiers were shot.

According to the general staff, the six men had previously signaled that they wanted to surrender to the Ukrainian armed forces

Hard fought in the Ukraine war: the region around Zaporizhia.

© IMAGO/Dmytro Smoliyenko

Heavy Donbass fighting in the Bakhmut area: Ukrainian defenders probably on the defensive

Update from January 8, 7:35 p.m .:

According to information from Kiev, the Ukrainian defenders in the Bakhmut area got into a difficult situation during the fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

"It's difficult in Soledar at the moment," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on her Telegram channel.

Like Bakhmut, only 14 kilometers away, Soledar is part of the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the conurbation between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

The Russians had concentrated large forces in front of Soledar, Maljar continued, not only regular units of the Russian army but also mercenary troops were involved in the attacks. 

Incendiary ammunition against Cherson?

Russia is again shelling several Ukrainian cities

Update from January 8, 5:55 p.m .:

According to Ukrainian information, Russia shot at several cities in the country on Sunday night.

A district of Cherson was affected, among other things.

"They used incendiary ammunition for the attack," said the region's military governor, Yaroslav Yanuschevich, according to ARD's "Tagesschau" on his Telegram channel.

The Geneva Convention prohibits the use of incendiary ammunition against civilian objects.

According to Yanushevich, the attack ended without any deaths or injuries.

According to information from the dpa news agency, however, victims were reported from other regions.

One person was killed in night attacks in Kharkiv, reports the German Press Agency (dpa).

First prisoner exchange in 2023: Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are released

Update from January 8, 4:55 p.m .:

Russia and Ukraine completed the first exchange of prisoners after the turn of the year.

"On January 8, as a result of the negotiation process, 50 Russian soldiers who were in imminent danger in captivity were withdrawn from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime," the Russian Defense Ministry announced on its Telegram channel on Sunday.

Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian side confirmed the exchange.

Largest flight since World War II: More than 7.9 million people fled Ukraine

Update from January 8, 4:30 p.m .:

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine has led to the largest refugee movement since the Second World War.

The extent and speed are unprecedented in the history of flight and expulsion since the Second World War, it said in a statement.

„Mehr als 7,9 Millionen Menschen sind aus dem Land geflohen, weitere 5,9 Millionen sind innerhalb der Ukraine vertrieben“, sagte die UNHCR-Vertreterin in Deutschland, Katharina Lumpp. Knapp 14 Millionen Menschen entsprechen rechnerisch mehr als einem Drittel der Gesamtbevölkerung des Landes von etwa 41 Millionen.

Energie-Infrastruktur und Großfabriken unter Beschuss: Russen und Ukraine bombardieren

Update vom 8. Januar, 15.50 Uhr: Russland und die Ukraine nehmen im Krieg gegenseitig Energie-Infrastruktur und Großfabriken unter Beschuss. Im russisch besetzten Melitopol seien in der Nacht massive Explosionen zu hören gewesen, teilte der ukrainische Bürgermeister der Stadt laut Ukrainska Pravda über Telegram mit. „Das Donnern dauerte mehrere Stunden, eine Druckwelle hat Fenster benachbarter Häuser bersten lassen“, erklärte er demnach. Angriffsziel sei die Fabrik des Unternehmens Hydromash gewesen – dort habe Russland eine „Militärbasis“ eingerichtet.

Die Ukraine wiederum beklagte Beschuss auf ein Wärmekraftwerk. Die Attacke habe sich schon am Freitag (6. Januar) ereignet, schrieb Kyiv Independent unter Berufung auf das Energieunternehmen DTEK. Der Versorger Ukrenergo erließ unterdessen für die gesamte Ukraine angesichts niedriger Temperaturen ein Stromverbrauchslimit. Anderenfalls drohten Stromausfälle, hieß es. Die Menschen in der Ukraine leiden seit längerem unter Blackouts und resultierendem Chaos.

Aber auch Russland spürt die Konsequenzen des Krieges. Im russischen Oblast Kemerowo sei ein Zug mit Kühlbehältern angekommen, berichtete Ukrainska Pravda am Sonntag unter Berufung auf den ukrainischen Generalstab. Transportiert worden seien 500 Leichen russischer Soldaten. Diese Angaben lassen sich nicht verifizieren. Aufruhr um einen Politiker-Urlaub in Russland deutet womöglich auf zunehmend angespannte Nervenkostüme.

Ukraine meldet neuen tödlichen Schlag auf Rekruten-Unterkunft – und russische Attacke auf UN-Mission

Update vom 8. Januar, 13.45 Uhr: Die Kämpfe und Kampfes-Vorbereitungen in der Ukraine scheinen an Heftigkeit zuzunehmen. Nach ukrainischen Medienberichten hat die Armee erneut russische Militärunterkünfte ins Visier genommen. In der Stadt Rubischne im besetzten Oblast Luhansk sei eine Herberge für mobilisierte Rekruten getroffen, mindestens 14 Soldaten seien getötet worden, berichtet das Portal Nexta unter Berufung auf das ukrainische Militär. Laut Ukrainska Pravda meldete der Generalstab zudem Schläge gegen einen russischen Kommandoposten und fünf „Konzentrationen von Militärpersonal“ am Samstag. Tödliche Angriffe auf Truppenunterkünfte hatten zuletzt auch in Russland Beunruhigung gesät.

Russland bringe zudem neues Personal und Munition ins Kriegsgebiet – erleide aber aktuell massive Verluste bei Offensiven in Bachmut, Awdijiwka und Lyman, hieß es weiter. Auch in das lange umkämpfte Mariupol bringt Russland neue Truppen, berichtete Ukrainska Pravda unter Berufung auf einen Berater des ukrainischen Bürgermeisters der Stadt.

Die Ukraine erhob auch neue Vorwürfe gen Russland. Wladimir Putins Militär habe während der angekündigten Waffenruhe eine humanitäre UN-Mission im Oblast Saporischschja attackiert. Im besetzten Oblast Luhansk sei zudem eine Entbindungsklinik in ein Militär-Lazarett umgewandelt worden. „Die Besatzer haben zivile medizinische Einrichtungen fast vollständig von der Landkarte getilgt“, zitierte Kyiv Independent ukrainische Offizielle. Alle diese Angaben sind nicht unabhängig verifiziert.

Update vom 8. Januar, 12.45 Uhr: Die Besatzer im ukrainischen Oblast Donezk haben einen Angriff der Ukraine auf ein großes Wärmekraftwerk bestätigt. Mindestens zwei Mitarbeiter seien wohl unter den Trümmern begraben, sagten Offizielle der Staatsagentur Tass. Die Attacke sei mit einem Mehrfachraketensystem ausgeführt worden. Sechs Raketen seien auf das Kraftwerk Starobeschewkaja abgefeuert worden. Bislang hatte vor allem Russland die Energie- und Wärmeversorgung der Ukraine ins Visier genommen. Nun mehren sich Anzeichen für eine ähnliche Antwort Kiews.

Putin vor „Dilemma“: Sorge vor Ukraine an zwei Fronten? Wohl mehr als 1000 neue Soldaten in Belarus

Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov view a defense exhibition.

(Iconic image) © IMAGO/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin Pool

Overview of January 8th:

London/Washington, DC – Vladimir Putin's “ceasefire” over the Orthodox Christmas was apparently not even a brief respite in the Ukraine war: January 6th and 7th also brought reports of fighting and explosions.

And especially on the Russian side, there is obviously sometimes hectic activity.

Das britische Verteidigungsministerium attestiert den Truppen des Kreml Vorkehrungen für ukrainische Offensiven in Saporischschja oder Luhansk. Unterdessen attackiert die Ukraine offenbar nun auch ihrerseits Energie-Infrastruktur in besetzten Gebieten. Und Moskau verlegt Truppen – aus Tschetschenien ins Kriegsgebiet und wohl auch nach Belarus.

Russland im Ukraine-Krieg in „Dilemma“: Kommandeure bereiten sich wohl auf Offensive Kiews vor

In seinem Update vom Sonntagmorgen berichtete das britische Verteidigungsministerium von „verstärkten Befestigungen“ Russlands im südlichen Oblast Saporischschja. Die jüngsten Maßnahmen deuteten „sehr wahrscheinlich“ auf Sorge vor ukrainischen Offensiven hin – entweder in Saporischschja oder in Luhansk in der Ostukraine.

An beiden Orten hätten Gebietsverluste massive Konsequenzen, urteilte London. Deshalb stecke der Kreml wohl nun in einem „Dilemma“ bei der Schwerpunktsetzung: Im Süden könne ein ukrainische Vorstoß wichtige Versorgungswege kappen, im Osten könnte die symbolisch wichtige Eroberung des Donbass in weite Ferne rücken, hieß es. Anhaltspunkte für eine von Russland verkündete „Einkreisung“ der Stadt Bachmut sah das US-amerikanische Institute for the Study of War am Samstag indes nicht.

Gerade im Donbass gibt es aber auch andere Probleme für Russland: Nach Wochen schwerer russischer Angriffe auf die ukrainische Infrastruktur könnte die Ukraine nun den Spieß umdrehen. Nach einer Gasleitungs-Explosion in Luhansk vermuten die Besatzer-Behörden „Sabotage“ – zugleich gab es Berichte über zwei Raketenangriffe auf Wärmekraftwerke im besetzten Teils Donezks.

Belarus im Ukraine-Krieg weiter im Fokus: Mehr als 1000 neue Soldaten aus Russland?

Unterdessen verlegt der Kreml wohl Truppen. 300 Kämpfer einer tschetschenischen Spezialeinheit seien in Kriegsgebiet gebracht worden, teilte Tschetschenen-Anführer Ramsan Kadyrow laut der Staatsagentur Tass mit. Sie sollten „den Brüdern an der Frontlinie helfen“, erklärte Kadyrow demnach – er bemühte sich am Sonntag auch um beruhigende Worte für die russische Öffentlichkeit.

Zudem sind wohl „700 bis 800“ russische Soldaten nach Belarus verlegt worden. Das berichtet das Portal Ukrainska Pravda unter Berufung auf belarussische Quellen. Damit seien 1400 bis 1600 Kämpfer binnen kurzer Zeit in der Stadt Vitebsk eingetroffen. Zuletzt wuchsen wieder Sorgen vor einem Angriff auf die Ukraine aus belarussischen Gebiet. (fn)