Intelligence Agency speaks about changes in enemy forces over two years, strengthening of grouping of forces in areas bordering Ukraine
Today, the ground part of the enemy group, which is located on the territory of Ukraine, is about 470,000 military personnel, and on the eve of the "elections" the group of troops covering the state border in Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions of Russia was strengthened, Deputy chief of the Main Intelligence Agency of Ukraine of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Major General Vadym Skibitsky said.
"If we talk about what has changed during this time, this is the size of the group deployed on our territory. Now the ground component, the ground part of the group, which is located on the territory of Ukraine, is about 470,000 military personnel. And this is only the ground component, I don't include aviation, we don't include the navy, which is also involved in conducting operations and launching strikes," Skibitsky said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
In addition, the major general noted, a new component has appeared, which was not present at the beginning of the aggression (it was represented only partially, by battalions), - a grouping of troops of the Russian Guard.
"Today, a group of forces of the Russian Guard has been deployed in the temporarily occupied territories. This is almost 33,000 military personnel. These are the people who ensure the activities of the occupation authorities, the protection of strategic objects and, if necessary, can carry out defense tasks specifically in the temporarily occupied territories," Skibitsky said.
According to him, another change that has occurred in two years is that the so-called group additionally appeared. They are deployed on the territory of three regions of Russia, which directly border on Ukraine - Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk. The major general said this is due to the Russians' fear that "we will be more active, we will carry out appropriate actions on the Russian territory."
"Perhaps this is necessary: to transfer the war to Russian territory. There they concentrated a group of about 30,000 military personnel. Recently, they were also reinforced by units of the 116th brigade of the Russian Guard, which was transferred. Three battalions were transferred from our Mariupol to the territory Belgorod region. As they also admit, in order to ensure the security and holding of elections of the eternally living Putin. These are the changes that mainly occurred in the number of the ground component," the intelligence service said.
Skibitsky also noted an important change in two years is the isolation of the Black Sea Fleet, and all the main enemy warships are located in Novorossiysk.
"They can only enter Sevastopol to replenish ammunition, reload, or, if necessary, when they are on combat duty. And so, all the activity of the Black Sea Fleet is off the coast of Crimea or in the eastern part of the Black Sea. Today we have fully ensured the ability to control in terms of fire, the ability to strike at the Black Sea Fleet if it enters the northwestern part. And this gave us the opportunity to restore the operation of the sea corridor," he said.
In addition, in two years, many territories were liberated, which Russia had been counting on from the very beginning of the aggression, the major general said. And most importantly, as Skibitsky noted, the strategic goal of the Russian Federation, and especially the complete occupation of Ukraine, has not been achieved.
"We completely violated the plans that Russia had in February 2022," he said.