Russia has concentrated more than 9,000 troops and a significant amount of military equipment in Belarus near the Ukrainian border, Brig. Gen. Oleksii Hromov, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of Ukraine’s General Staff, said at a briefing on November 24, 2022, Suspilne reported.
15,000 Belarusians
About 15,000 Belarusian servicemen are ready to take part in Russia’s “special military operation,” Hromov said, “particularly due to high monetary allowances.” He assessed Russia’s offensive potential from the Belarusian direction as low.
Bakhmut the hardest
Hromov said the most difficult situation was near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, where Russian forces were trying to encircle the city, with 90 clashes in a week. Russian troops were also trying to retake Kupiansk and break through Ukrainian defences near Nevelske, while building up forces and digging in on the left bank of the Kharkiv region.
Russian forces were also laying minefields along the border in Belgorod Oblast to stop Ukrainian sabotage groups, he said.
Context
Russian troops used Belarus to launch their offensive on Kyiv in February 2022. In October, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced a joint regional grouping of forces with Russia, and Russian troops began arriving in the country. Belarus has not sent its own troops into the war.
Sources
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