Moscow announced that its forces carried out high-precision military strikes in eastern Ukraine that enabled it to destroy American missile launchers and warplanes and to eliminate 200 Ukrainian soldiers, while British intelligence revealed a role for the Russian "Wagner" company in the battles.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a press briefing that Russian forces destroyed, with high-precision ground weapons, in the Krasno-Armysk region of Donetsk, a launch pad and a transport and cargo vehicle for an American-made HIMARS rocket launcher.
Konashenkov added that "high-precision, long-range missiles launched from the air destroyed in one of the buildings of an industrial enterprise in the city of Odessa a warehouse for storing HARPOON anti-ship missiles delivered by countries to Ukraine," referring to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The spokesman stated that high-precision strikes launched by the Russian Air Force on the temporary deployment point of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade in the Kharkiv region (northeast), killing up to 200 people, in addition to destroying more than 10 armored vehicles.
In this context, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the forces operating in Ukraine to prioritize the destruction of the Ukrainian army's long-range missiles and artillery, which are used to bombard the territory of the Donbass region.
The ministry quoted Shoigu as saying that he had ordered his forces in Ukraine "to give priority to the destruction of missiles and long-range artillery with which residential areas in Donbass are bombed and wheat fields are deliberately burned, as well as grain storage facilities."
Wagner mercenaries
For its part, British intelligence said that Russia is using the private "Wagner" company to strengthen the front lines and to alleviate the shortage of personnel.
In one of its reports on the course of the war in Ukraine, British intelligence added that "Wagner" played a central role in the recent battles, including the capture of Bubasna and Lysechansk in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine.
It stated that Wagner was lowering recruitment standards and hiring blacklisted convicts and individuals, which could affect the effectiveness of the Russian military.
Russian preparations
Coinciding with this escalation, the Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman said that Kyiv had monitored Russia's readiness for the next stage of its offensive, which will not be limited to missile strikes from the air and sea, but will extend along the lines of contact.
For his part, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said that modern NATO weapons are still directed at Russia, and stressed that it will not ignore that threat.
Yesterday, Kyiv spoke of a series of successful strikes carried out by its forces on 30 Russian logistics and ammunition centers, using several multiple launch missile systems recently provided to it by the West.
A Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman said the strikes had caused chaos in Russia's supply lines and significantly reduced Russia's offensive capability.