1,100 Russian tanks, 330 warplanes along border with Ukraine

Ukrinform ^ | 03.07.2020 14:58 | Vasyl Korotkyi

[Zhang Fei]

Our state informed OSCE about military potential being accumulated by Russia against Ukraine

Ukrainian and American experts, as well as the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, warned that under the pretext of holding strategic exercises Kavkaz 2020, Russia may resort to a large-scale offensive against Ukraine. The other day, the Russian president signed a decree on conscription from the reserve "for military training" - without specific dates for this training. This only increased the likelihood of an offensive – behind the decree may be the attempt of the Russian leadership to conduct a covert mass mobilization for military aggression.

Against this background, the question arises: what is the number of Russian troops ready to be involved against Ukraine? How many units of armament and military equipment do they have? In general, the answer to these questions was given at a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on July 1.

As Ukraine currently chairs this OSCE policy-making body, the issue of implementing and modernizing the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures was raised on Wednesday. The main speaker from Ukraine was Head of the Main Directorate for International Cooperation and Verification of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Leonid Holopatiuk. In particular, he pointed to the transformation of the occupied territories of Donbas into a "gray zone" that is not covered by the OSCE regime of arms control and confidence- and security-building measures.

Another factor of destabilization is the militarization of the occupied Crimea. The non-transparent nature of military exercises in the Russian Armed Forces also does not inspire confidence.

OCCUPATION CORPS IN DONBAS LARGER THAN SOME EUROPEAN ARMIES

"Ukraine insists that the Russian Federation has to provide in the Global Exchange of Military Information data on the number of its troops and weapons

[linMcHlp]

July 3, 2020

From the article:

Russia has already created three groups of troops near the border with Ukraine, "which are capable of carrying out sudden offensive operations on the territory of Ukraine with limited objectives without declaring mobilization and with minimal preparatory measures."

And this is not taking into account:

• the Crimean peninsula turned into a "ground aircraft carrier" and
• the occupied areas of Donbas where Russia's deployed army corps in terms of their military power and strength outnumber the armies of a number of European countries.

The creation of a group of Russian occupation troops in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps has led to the emergence of a large number of weapons and military equipment in eastern Ukraine.

The combat composition of the 1st army corps includes:

• five brigades (1st, 3rd, 5th separate motorized rifle brigades, 100th separate motorized rifle brigade of the "Republican Guard" and a separate artillery brigade);
• three separate regiments (11th separate motorized rifle regiment, 9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of the marine corps and a separate commandant's regiment);
• ten separate battalions (divisions).

The combat composition of the 2nd army corps includes:

• four brigades (2nd, 4th, 7th separate motorized rifle brigades and a separate artillery brigade);
• two regiments (6th separate motorized rifle regiment and separate commandant's regiment);
• six separate battalions (divisions).