Fighting continues despite Russia claiming it deliberately slowed its attacks. The attacks are currently concentrated in the Donetsk region. British secret services suspect that Russia is pursuing a strategy.
According to British information, the Russian army has recently intensified its attacks in eastern Ukraine. In the past five days, the intensity of Russian attacks near the city of Donetsk has increased again, the Ministry of Defense in London said, citing intelligence findings.
With the attacks, the Russian troops probably wanted to tie up additional Ukrainian troops in the east in order to make an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south of the country more difficult, according to British experts.
There was heavy fighting near the cities of Siwersk and Bakhmut north of Donetsk. Troops of Moscow-loyal separatists are believed to have advanced further into the center of the village of Pisky near the destroyed Donetsk airport, it said. Overall, however, the Russian units only gained a little ground.
The Ukrainian news portal “Kyiv Independent” reports that two civilians died in the Russian attacks in the Donetsk region on Friday. According to the region’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the victims died in Bakhmut and twelve others were injured.
On Friday, Russian forces had reported no territorial gains for the first time since August 18. This was determined by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), although there were limited ground operations by the Russians. However, these were largely unsuccessful.
British intelligence has labeled Russia’s claims that it is deliberately slowing the pace of its military campaign in Ukraine as “willful misinformation”. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that Russia was slowing down its campaign to reduce casualties. According to the British assessment, however, it is very likely that Shoigu and Russian President Vladimir Putin fired at least six generals because they did not move quickly enough.
The British Ministry of Defense has published unprecedented information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in late February, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.