JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin is deploying a new 15,000 army corps to southern Ukraine, to stem a Kyiv counter-offensive, Western officials say.
With Ukrainian troops advancing on Kherson, the first urban area captured by Russia, President Vladimir Putin is understood to be desperate to defend it.
It was reported Russia was forced to transport troops and supplies into the city via a makeshift pontoon bridge, after the last road crossing the Dnipro River was disabled by a Ukrainian long-range missile attack.
However, Western officials have now confirmed reports that Russia has built up new troops, many drawn from domestic prisons, that could be used in an offensive that could potentially begin next month.
"We can confirm that we saw the formation," a western official informed, the western official said.
"An army corps usually consists of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel, but we are not sure how it will be used.
"We can't even comment on whether to hire in Ukraine or not. But there are various options open to Russia, strengthening Kherson or counterattack in the south," the official said.
Ukrainian officials say the military build-up took place near the steel-producing town of Kryvyi Rih, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy grew up, about 50 kilometers from the current southern front.
"It is very likely that the enemy is preparing a hostile counter-offensive with further plans to reach the administrative boundaries of the Kherson region, the Ukrainian military commander said on Thursday.
Western intelligence officials have rejected Russian media reports that the alleged attack on a prisoner of war prison that killed 53 Ukrainians last month was caused by one of Kyiv's long-range missiles.
"Looking at the photos, which have been released by Russia of the site, it is clear to our explosion experts that this was not a high-explosive attack from outside," a western official explained.
“It is much more likely to be incendiary and from within. What's important here is if you look at things like bunk beds, they're still standing. That will not happen if there is a high attack from (long-range missiles) Himars," he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was launching a fact-finding mission to investigate the killings in eastern Ukraine's separatist region. Meanwhile, US intelligence officials said Russia had planted false evidence on the site.
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