SOHR: Pentagon says Russia may send ‘replacement troops’ to Ukraine

As Russia’s war on Ukraine is in the middle of its third week, Pentagon officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin may send replacement troops to compensate for war losses.

There are huge discrepancies in the number of casualties and injuries reported by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Although Moscow consistently reports low numbers, army casualties may be higher than Russian officials say.

“We have looked at them deliberately and discussed the possibility of re-supplying to include replacement troops,” a senior Pentagon defense official said. said on Wednesday, “But we haven’t – we haven’t seen any signs that they already have anything moving in Ukraine. But we do know that they are taking damages every day; loss of people, of equipment. Damage, loss of aircraft.”

on Tuesday, The Armed Forces of Ukraine reported More than 13,500 Russian soldiers have been killed since February 24. He also said that Ukraine’s military has destroyed more than 1,200 Russian armored personnel carriers, 640 vehicles and 404 tanks.

But the director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Scott Barrier, estimated a much lower number last week.

“With less confidence, somewhere between [2,000] And 4,000,” Barrier told the House Intelligence Committee. “That number comes from some intelligence sources, but also from open source, and that’s how we pull it together.”

US officials estimate that Russia has deployed more than 82 percent of its forces outside Ukraine.

Russia offered surprisingly low casualties on March 2. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that 498 Russian soldiers were killed and 1,597 more were wounded.

The losses on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides have been difficult to verify, but talk of Russia sending replacement troops could justify high estimates from the US and Ukraine.

A senior US defense official says there are no signs that replacement troops have yet moved to Ukraine. Although The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom says Some have already arrived.

Putin offered Syrian military personnel a monthly salary of $200 to $300 USD for six months, among other “privileges” to join Russia’s fight against Ukraine.

More than 40,000 Syrians are enlisted to fight, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)—a Syrian non-governmental group.

Last week, US Department of Defense (DOD) Russia’s intention to backup was conveyed.

“We find it remarkable that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] “It needs to rely on foreign fighters to complement a very important commitment of combat power inside Ukraine,” a DoD spokesman said.

Russia’s reinforcements may come sooner. Four Russian warships were seen crossing the Strait in northeastern Japan on Wednesday.

Japanese Defense Ministry said The ships were probably carrying troops and combat vehicles to Ukraine. The ships then entered the Tsugaru Strait, about 430 miles east of the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.