The representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Vadym Skybytsky has said that Russia is using the temporarily occupied Crimea as an outpost for the war in Syria, OBOZREVATEL reports.
According to intelligence data, the number of Russian troops in the occupied Crimea increased from 10,000 – 12,000 before the aggression to 32,500 people.
“They increased number of personnel and ammunition, weapons. These are warships, an aviation component, which at that time was represented only by naval aircraft, as well as the Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft, i.e. almost the entire spectrum of bomber and fighter aircraft,” Skybytsky said.
Also, according to the representative of the State Intelligence Agency, the Russian air defense systems S-400 were not deployed in the Crimea before, but now it is deployed there, as well as the anti-ship missile systems “Bal” and “Bastion”.
Skybytsky specified that Russia will continue to increase potential of its Armed Forces. Today, Russia uses the Crimea as an outpost for projecting forces not only in the Black Sea region, but also as its main base for the use of troops in Syria.
In addition, answering the question how many weapons Russia deployed near the Ukrainian border, Skybytsky said that “in total, the Russian Armed Forces along the state border of Ukraine, on the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk, Luhansk oblasts and the Crimea, comprise about 87,000 – 90,000 military personnel (including 1 and 2 army corps, which include more than 35,000 military personnel). It also includes 1,100 tanks, 2,500 armored combat vehicles, 1,600 artillery and missile systems, 340 combat aircraft and 240 combat helicopters, more than 50 ships/boats and 6 submarines.”
As The Journalist reported, Ukraine reports 5 WIA in Donbas over past day.
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