Ukrainian Chief of Staff: Russia plans to establish third military corps in the Donbas
The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko stated that Russia is going to increase its presence in the Donbas and establish their "third Army Corps."
"Russia is going to transfer more soldiers to the Donbas. The Russian Ministry of Defense is preparing to increase the number of troops by one third in eastern Ukraine within the framework of its long-term plan to destroy Ukraine. We are not talking about weak and uncontrolled groups of separatists. There is a military hierarchy among them with a robust command and control system. Russia is planning to establish the third Army Corps which will be composed of professional Russian soldiers," Muzhenko said in an interview with The Times.
There is no data on the size of this alleged third formation, but General Muzhenko suspects that the Kremlin is preparing thousands of troops, comprising three to five brigades.
At the same time, The Times writes that its unnamed source in a unit of the Russian army based in Luhansk confirmed that the concerns of the Ukrainian military are justified. "It will be the third hand for flexibility, sabotage operations, counterattacks and offensives, while the two other corps hold the line," the newspaper’s representative said.
The first Army Corps is the separatists of the DPR, and the second Corps is the army of the LPR.