UK MoD claims Russian forces trying to regain momentum on northern Izium axis amid war

Russian forces to rely more on its reserve forces over the coming weeks, the UK Defence Ministry said in the latest intelligence update. The British Defence Ministry stated that the focus of Russian forces remains on the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket. It further said that Russian forces have been trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis. 

"While Russia’s main operational focus remains the Sieverodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket, a week of consistently heavy shelling suggests Russia is now trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis," the UK Defence Ministry said in the statement. 

According to UK Defence Ministry, the Ukrainian troops continue to "hold the line" in the region and use forested terrain in their defence. The British intelligence said that Russian forces will rely on reserve forces which consist of distinct components that Russia has already started to field. The UK Defence Ministry in the statement added, "Russia’s Combat Army Reserve is a recent innovation of part-time but volunteer reservists, which deploy as whole units typically ear-marked for rear area security tasks." According to United Kingdom intelligence, the Russian government has been using volunteers from Human Mobilisation Resource to fill out the third battalions in the regular brigades. 

UK PM & French President Macron agree to increase support for Ukraine

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to increase support for the war-torn nation. On the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Germany, the two leaders discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and stressed that "this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war," according to the statement released by the UK government.  During the meeting, Boris Johnson laid emphasis on the fact that any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability. According to him, the action would provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with the license to manipulate both sovereign nations and "international markets in perpetuity." French President Emmanuel Macron appreciated the British PM's ongoing military support to Ukraine and the leaders agreed to ramp up this work.

"Both the Prime Minister and President Macron stressed the need to support Ukraine to strengthen their hand in both the war and any future negotiations," the UK government announced in a statement. 

Image: AP