Russia says it is pushing Ukrainian forces back, will create two new armies
Item
1 of 2 A view shows the remains of destroyed cars in the course of
Russia-Ukraine conflict in the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk Region,
Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 16, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
[1/2]A
view shows the remains of destroyed cars in the course of
Russia-Ukraine conflict in the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk Region,
Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 16, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Purchase Licensing Rights MOSCOW,
March 20 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday its soldiers were pushing
Ukrainian forces back and that Moscow would bolster its military by
adding two new armies and 30 new formations by the end of this year.
Russia, which invaded
Ukraine
in 2022, swiftly pulled back some of its forces in the east and south
after over-extending but has been slowly advancing after a Ukrainian
counteroffensive last year failed to make significant gains.
Russia
controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine and President Vladimir
Putin ordered troops to push further forward after Moscow took the small
eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka last month.
"Groups
of Russian troops continue to squeeze the enemy out of their
positions," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told senior generals. "The
United States and its satellites are extremely concerned about the
success of the Russian Armed Forces."
"The
combined grouping of troops will continue to build on the successes
achieved and increase the live fire impact on enemy targets."
Russia,
which has recruited hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers, will
create two new armies and 30 formations including 14 divisions and 16
brigades, Shoigu said.
Western
spy chiefs say the war could be at a turning point as Kyiv needs more
arms from its Western allies to avoid more battlefield setbacks. U.S.
Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday Ukraine's survival was in danger.
Russia
has since the 2022 invasion taken 65,000 square km (25,000 square
miles) of Ukrainian territory, according to Harvard Kennedy School's
Russia Matters project.
SHOIGU SAYS SECURITY TIGHTENED
Ukraine
is debating a new mobilisation law as it faces a shortage of
battle-ready troops, and support from Washington has been held up by
political wrangling ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.
Before
Russia's March 15-17 presidential election, Ukraine stepped up attacks
by shelling Russian border regions, attacking refineries and using
proxies to try to pierce the border.
Shoigu said security had been tightened at Russian government and other facilities, and air defences strengthened.
Russia
shot down 419 Ukrainian drones and 67 rockets during the election and
inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian proxies, he said. Reuters was
unable to verify the figures.
Putin has said Russia will punish Ukraine for the attacks and that he might carve a
buffer zone from more Ukrainian territory as defence against attacks by Western-supplied artillery.
"The
primary task is to guarantee security. There are different methods
here, they aren't easy but we will do this," Putin told a Kremlin
meeting on Wednesday.
Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Timothy Heritage