Ukrainian Intelligence: Russia deployed anti-aircraft missile battalion to the Donbas
The Russian Command deployed an anti-aircraft missile battalion from the 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Army of the Eastern Military District under the command of Major Yuri Korchinskiy to Ukraine. According to the press service of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the anti-aircrarft battalion is intended to ensure air defense for the future deployment of a new motorized rifle brigade.
It was noted that the anti-missile battalion has 168 servicemen,21 pieces of military equipment and 30 vehicles. The staff the battalion consists of officers and regular soldiers of the Russian Army. According to the Intelligence Office, the division conducted additional training in the Novocherkassk, Rostov, region before deployment to the territory of Ukraine.
“As part of planned activities of operational camouflage, personnel of the division have been issued fake identification documents, and corresponding legends for covert use by the division in the territory of Ukraine have been worked out. It is stated that the division is armed with modern Tor-M2U missile systems that are as efficient as the Buk missile system with which the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in 2014.
“We are considering the deployment of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion of the 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade as a threat for all aviation, including civil aircrafts,” the report of the Ukrainian Intelligence states. The Ukrainian Military Intelligence previously reported that there is a high likelihood of a full-scale offensive by the separatists.
At the same time, American global intelligence company Stratfor wrote in its report that a full-scale offensive against Ukraine would be detrimental to Russia. Now, after the recent events in the Crimea, not only are Russian-Ukrainian relations damaged, but the increased tension could also have serious consequences for the dialogue between Russia and the West.
As the Wall Street Journal reported citing one of its sources, the Pentagon has detected the movement of Russian troops in the Crimea. The representative from the Pentagon noted that in the case of Russian offensive the heaviest fighting will be in the Donetsk region and not in the Crimea.