Russian naval forces launch cruise missiles into Ukrainian territory to support Moscow's military operations in the eastern Donbas region and around the cities of Mariupol and Mikolaiv, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
In a report on Saturday, the British authorities said that Russian air forces are expected to increase their activity in southern and eastern Ukraine to further strengthen this operation.
These actions come as attempts to establish a land corridor between Crimea, a peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, and Moscow-controlled areas in the Donbas, “continue to be frustrated by Ukrainian resistance,” the ministry added.
British officials also highlighted in the report that Russia continues to attack non-combatants, such as the victims of a missile that fell on Kramatorsk train station on Friday.
For its part, the British broadcaster BBC reported that Russia has reorganized the military leadership that runs operations in Ukraine to try to improve the coordination of its units on the ground. According to a Western source on the station, the Kremlin has designated General Alexander Dvornikov, with previous experience in Syria, as the first link in the chain of command to lead the invasion.
The Russian army has so far maintained various operational groups with independent commanders, and 44 days after the start of the attacks in Ukraine it has failed to achieve its objectives or seize large cities such as Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may put certain “political imperatives” ahead of other “military priorities” when deciding his next steps, says the BBC. Moscow is trying to accelerate the achievement of goals in order to achieve “some kind of success” before May 9, when Russia commemorates victory in World War II.
In recent days, Russian troops have withdrawn from the vicinity of Kiev and other parts of Ukraine to focus their efforts on an offensive in the Donbas region in the east of the country.
(With information from AP and EFE)
KEEP READING: