WASHINGTON — The U.S. military’s assessment of Russia’s renewed offensive in the Donbas region of Ukraine is that it has begun in a limited way, mainly in an area southwest of the city of Donetsk and south of Izyum.
“When people say the offensive has begun, that’s what they’re referring to, and we’re not pushing back on that notion,” a senior U.S. defense official said.
The official said the Russians are taking actions to improve their ability to sustain combat operations in the Donbas and to “prepare for what we believe will be larger offensives in the future.”
The U.S. estimates that the Russian military has lost about 25% of the combat power it sent into Ukraine at the start of the war, so they’re refitting ground combat units for insertion into Ukraine. The official said the Russians added two more battalion tactical groups in the past 24 hours, for a total of 78. That’s up from 65 last week.
