Russian troops have been forced to return to Belarus after heavy losses in Ukraine, the UK has claimed.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence said Russian units returned to its neighbour and ally to resupply and reorganise following significant equipment and personnel losses in Ukraine.
“Such activity is placing further pressure on Russia’s already strained logistics and demonstrates the difficulties Russia is having reorganising its units in forward areas within Ukraine,” MoD said in its update.
The MoD said its intelligence indicates that the besieged country could come under more heavy artillery and shelling attacks as Russia takes time to regroup and reorganise its ground offensive.
“Russia will likely continue to compensate for its reduced ground manoeuvre capability through mass artillery and missile strikes,” the latest intelligence update read.
It comes as Russia vowed to scale back military operations around Kyiv and the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv in a bid to “increase mutual trust.” Moscow made the concession at the conclusion of the first day of talks in Istanbul on Tuesday to end the month-long Russian war against Ukraine.
It is the first meaningful concession by the Kremlin since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24 February, although it has been met by scepticism and caution.
Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab says he does not think the west should trust what Mr Putin says while Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said signals it will pull back troops from some areas “do not drown out the ruptures of Russian shells”.
“The door to diplomacy will always be left ajar, but I don't think you can trust what is coming out of the mouth of Putin's war machine,” Mr Raab told Sky News.
Talks took place in an Istanbul palace more than a month into the largest attack on a European nation since World War Two that has killed or injured thousands, forced nearly 4 million to flee abroad and drawn sanctions that have pummelled Russia's economy.
“Ultimately, they need to be tested by their actions and they need to withdraw from Ukraine, not just reposition,” Mr Raab told Times Radio.
“But I think we take a very sceptical view about anything coming out of Moscow.”
The MoD’s intelligence update also warned that Russia’s stated focus on an offensive in Donetsk and Luhansk is likely a tacit admission that it is struggling to sustain more than one significant axis of advance.
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