Defense ministry looking at further military support options for Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense is scoping out additional military assistance for Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian Federation forces, following the consignment of Javelin anti-tank missile systems which arrived there last week.
More armaments, ammunition and anti-tank mines are likely to be sent soon, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Monday evening, along with medical, personal protective equipment and other supplies
Ministry of Defense Secretary General Kusti Salm said: "We're trying to get all the paperwork needed done as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we can't talk much about the details, in what order, how much, and how [the supplies will be delivered]. As of today we can say this much – that in this category, anti-personnel mines are an additional item, and many more are planned [for delivery]."
Meanwhile, Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) intelligence chief Col. Margo Grosberg said that Russia's main military objective in its invasion of Ukraine will continue to be the capital, Kyiv, though, despite reinforcements relieving preceding units, Russian forces don't appear to have made significant progress in the past 24 hours or so, and seem to have problems with logistics, as well as morale.
"If we look at the bulk of the prisoners of war, so to speak, the percentage of those killed is higher than in any other previous conflict. And the range of prisoners derives from the regular line-up, essentially all the way to officers and senior officers," Grosberg continued.
Grosberg added that some intelligence reports have been received to the effect that Belarusian military units are being prepared for possible involvement, though this is not certain.
"As [Belarusian leader Alexander] Lukashenko has said, if the Russian Federation asks and asks for help, as it were, in this operation, it has not done so to date, though having said that, Lukashenko is also a relatively unpredictable figure," Grosberg told AK.
Russian troops are also directing their efforts towards a "land bridge" between the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, already under Russian occupation before last Thursday's full-scale invasion, and the Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
While Chernivtsi and Kharkiv have not yet fallen, meaning the invaders are likely to bypass the cities altogether, AK reported, a potential amphibious landing aimed at the Black Sea port city of Odessa has most likely been prepared, to put further pressure on Ukraine's military resistance.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte