CIT has received confirmation that Russia is transferring troops to Eastern Ukraine
Irina Balachuk – Monday, 4 April 15:11
Investigative journalists from the Conflict Intelligence Team have received confirmation that Russia is transferring troops from the Kyiv Oblast as well as reservists in the direction of Donbas.
Source: CIT
Quote from СІТ: "In the past few days representatives from the Ukrainian government, Western intelligence as well as military analysts have warned the public that Russian forces being pulled from Northern Ukraine may be headed to Donbas. Today we’ve received the first confirmation that this information is correct."
Details: A column with infantry fighting vehicles (BMD-2) was captured on a Belarusian video on 2 April. According to CIT data, this column may contain vehicles from landing units and those units that participated in fighting in the Kyiv Oblast - 76th Air Assault Division, 98th Airborne Division or 31st Air Assault Brigade.
According to a RJD [Russian Railways ed.] database, the column is travelling to the Novii Oskol station in Belgorod Oblast - which is not far from the occupied part of Kharkovskaya oblast.
Additionally, a column with T-72B3 tanks from Elny, where the 59th Tank Regiment of the 144th Motorised Rifle Division is stationed, was seen heading to the nearby Valuiky station. According to CIT data, equipment belonging to the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District was there several weeks before the invasion.
Investigative journalists suspect that these tanks didn’t take part in the invasion due to malfunctions, and have now been refurbished.
CIT reports that the machinery that is arriving will most likely head south through Kupiansk and Yzium, recently occupied by Russian troops, in the direction of Slaviansk in the Donetsk Oblast.
"The transport of both transferred and previously unused machinery means that the Russian Command is taking things seriously, and that the battle for Donbas will escalate in the coming days", - summarised the CIT.
