Description: Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy has informed the public and Ukraine’s western allies of Russian military build up in several sectors. His statement has been issued after Ukraine and Russia once again exchanged aerial attacks in the Sumy region, as well as Volgograd, Rostov, Belgorod and Krasnodar. The reports indicated that up to 139 Russian drones were deployed of whom 67 were shot down while the location of the remaining 71 was not identified due to the overwhelming of Ukrainian air defense systems. Zelenskyy stated that Russia was developing new military production facilities focusing on drone development and received continuous support from North Korea which has allegedly deployed from 11 to 12 thousand troops on the frontlines. Even though rumors regarding upcoming elections in Ukraine have been recently floated, Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk has denied any possibilities from that to happen as Ukraine was till under martial law.
Impact: The rearmament of Russian troops according to reports obtained from Ukraine’s intelligence services, could indicate that Russia despite statements of political willingness to negotiate the end of the war, aims at gaining ground. This move could have been prompted by last week’s statement from President Donald Trump who conditioned US support for Ukraine in exchange for access to its $12 trillion mineral deposits, most of which is on territory controlled by Russia. Russia would seek to further advance into regions of interest which could be used in the future as bargaining chips on the negotiating table. If and whether the intelligence reports indicate Russian military buildup, NATO and the US should consider amping up military support for Ukraine in the short term.