As of: April 3, 2024, 4:57 a.m
By: Fabian Hartmann
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Are there supplies in the form of tanks for Russia's Crimean Battalion? Photo material from a pro-Ukrainian partisan movement suggests this.
Sevastopol – The Russian military is apparently positioning new tanks on the contested Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. At least that is what emerges from various posts on the Telegram channel of the pro-Ukrainian military partisan movement Atesh, which is active in Crimea, reports the US portal
Newsweek
.
According to Atesh, “an interesting trend has recently been observed in the accumulation of armored vehicles in Crimea.” The partisan group also stated: “According to our information, about 31 tanks arrived in Yevpatoriya not long ago, which suggests the transfer of an entire tank battalion.”
There may be supplies for Putin's Crimean battalion. (Symbolic image) © IMAGO/Konstantin Mihalchevskiy
Various photos shared on the Telegram channel are said to show Russian tanks being brought to Crimea by train. In a conversation with an officer in the unit, the partisan group also claims to have learned that the tank battalion was relocated to the peninsula in the Black Sea as part of the reinforcement of the Crimean group.
Photo material is said to show new Russian tanks in Crimea - their exact location is still unclear
According to
Newsweek
, it is still unclear whether the tanks, which have apparently been relocated to western Crimea, will be used to bolster resources on the peninsula - or along the front lines on the Ukrainian mainland. Meanwhile, Ukraine has targeted the Kerch Bridge to impede the flow of resources to Moscow's military. Also known as the Crimean Bridge, it connects the peninsula with mainland Russia.
After more than two years of war in Ukraine, Russia has used up large parts of its tank stocks. However, after further mobilization of its defense industry, Western experts believe that the Russian military will be able to maintain its supply of armored vehicles and tanks for the foreseeable future.
Insiders suspect a massive mechanized attack on Avdiivka
The reports from Atesh and the local Crimean Telegram channel come as Ukrainian sources and Western analysts suspect that Vladimir Putin carried out a "battalion-strength mechanized attack" near the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Saturday (March 30). . According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, this would be the first Russian tank attack of this magnitude since Moscow launched its attack on Avdiivka in October 2023.
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In the first weeks of attacks on the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, Russia lost many of its tanks and armored vehicles. Russia then switched to infantry-led attacks in order to “spare armored vehicles after the first two waves of attacks on the settlement,” according to the ISW’s assessment in mid-December.
“The readiness of the Russian military command to deploy a battalion of tanks for an attack near Avdiivka indicates that this attack was a priority,” the ISW wrote on Sunday after the weekend attacks.
Putin presents decree to mobilize 150,000 conscripts - Ukraine fears major offensive in summer
The fighting around the town of Tonenke over the weekend was a "positive indicator of Ukraine's ability to defend itself against future large-scale Russian attacks and the Russian offensive operation expected in the summer of 2024," the ISW added in its statement on Sunday.
According to its own statements, the Ukrainian military is preparing for another offensive from Moscow in the coming summer months. Ukrainian military representatives have already warned that Russia is preparing for another major offensive in the coming months. In this context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also stated that Moscow would launch a new offensive in May that would last until the summer.
Only on Sunday, Russian President Putin presented a decree according to which the Russian military will draft around 150,000 conscripts for basic military service from this Monday (April 1), as always in the spring. The Russian Defense Ministry had previously announced that the soldiers would initially be regularly called up for twelve months of basic military service, but would not be deployed in the war zone in Ukraine.