The United Kingdom warns that Russia-Ukraine war will “enter a new phase”
British intelligence warns in its usual daily report that a significant build-up of Russian forces is taking place in southern Ukraine.
The international community has turned its eyes in recent days to Taiwan, where the tensions between China and the United States over the autonomy of the island have increased after Nancy Pelosi’s visit. However, this does not mean that the war on Ukrainian has ended or cooled rather, the fighting and military exercises of Russia continue to scale in the south.
These increases were so significant that British intelligence, in its usual daily report on how the war may evolve in Eastern Europe, issued a warning that the conflict is “about to enter a new phase.”
The United Kingdom handles two hypotheses
As they explain in their daily report, a significant build-up of Russian forces is taking place in southern Ukraine. UK intelligence offers two hypotheses for such a move: either the Russian side is preparing for a new assault on Ukrainian territory; or on the contrary, they foresee a Ukrainian counteroffensive and are preparing the defense.
As detailed by the United Kingdom, battalion tactical groups, made up of between 800 and 1,000 soldiers, have been deployed in Crimea annexed to Russian territory and are expected to be supported by Russian troops in Kherson. In contrast, the Ukrainian military, according to British Country Defense, is focused on infrastructures like bridges and rail links in the southern regions, as well as ammunition depots and other military targets.
One of the railways that forces have attacked connects the Ukrainian city of Kherson and the Crimean peninsula. This will slow the Russians down as they attempt to move north from the area in which they are building up their military presence.
In the intelligence update provided on 7 August, the UK focused on the command issues faced by Russian forces. At least ten generals have been killed on the battlefield in Ukraine. Additionally, with so many military failures in the earlier days of the invasion, many generals have been removed from their position and replaced.
Bombings at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant
Meanwhile, the UK warning comes after both Kyiv and Moscow point fingers over recent shelling at Europe’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has made clear that Ukrainian officials “informed the IAEA that there had been no damage to the reactors themselves, no radiological release, and no reports of injuries.”
After the incident Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reaffirmed his commitment to having a team visit the plant to verify that the information being reported is correct and for international experts to audit the facility to ensure that it is up to international standards.
Since Russia currently occupies the area, no such request for a mission has been approved or deemed safe for the agency.