On the territory of occupied districts in Donbas, intelligence has spotted the creation of hit groups out of Russian armed units and groups of armed mercenaries, as well as attempts to set up a single system of command, reports head of Information Resistance Dmytro Tymchuk to Radio Liberty. Also, according to him, in the recent days sabotage and intelligence groups, as well as electronic and air intelligence groups have become more active.
There is no indisputable data about the plans of the Russian army and troops of the separatists, however it may be provoked also by the lack of confidence on part of the Ukrainian command, as has happened many times since the conflict between Ukraine and Russia began, Tymchuk notes.
“Our guys only open fire in case there is direct contact. In case fire is open, which happens dozens of times, we don’t respond. If they conduct defensive action more actively, without advancing, if they demonstrate power, this is able to influence the plans of the Russian-terrorist army, in particular, their Russian command,” notes Tymchuk.
In case the enemy begins a mass advance, the Ukrainian servicemen can not expect commands from Kyiv, as it was in spring, during the occupation of Crimea, says Dmytro Tymchuk. According to him, the decisions approved since then allow the Ukrainian troops to respond operatively and adequately.
We are aware of the locations of the Russians and separatists – Arestovych
Besides, the Ukrainian regular troops and volunteers have a completely different mindset from what they had when combat began, notes military expert Olexiy Arsetovych in a comment to Radio Liberty.
“About half a year in any conflict, in any nation, goes to forming a new psychological type and state in the military. At the moment this state has already been formed in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Even the regular infantry, which is in the field under very difficult conditions, is not afraid of this possible attack. Everyone will fight, and fight well, nobody will desert. We have an opportunity to disrupt their advance with making them suffer huge losses in one moment. We know the location points of Russians and separatists. If we made a massive artillery attack, the problem of the presence of all these people on our territory would be solved,” Arestovych claims.
However, preventing such actions necessitates political will from the Ukrainian government and appropriate orders from the General Headquarters, he notes. The government has been applying the logic of peacetime when political expediency necessitates wartime thinking, he adds.
Lysenko: the General Headquarters is calculating forces to react to the mercenaries’ advances
Meanwhile the commandment of the Armed Forced, according to spokesman of the NSDC Information Center Andriy Lysenko is only predicting reactions to the possible actions on part of Russian units or mercenary groups.
“The situation is characterized by heightened intensity of attacks on ATO positions. Significant amounts of military equipment and personnel continue to come from the territory of Russia. The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Headquarter documents movement, makes an analysis and calculates the forces and means necessary for adequate reactions in case the terrorists’ advances become more active,” Lysenko reports.
At the same time, Andriy Lysenko reminds that President Petro Poroshenko issued an order to reinforce roadblocks with both equipment and personnel, and pay extreme attention to all of Russia’s moves.
