Russia is setting up a “shaping operation” in preparation for a major ground offensive as it concentrates its war efforts in eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Thursday.
“They’re setting the conditions for what they want to conduct in the Donbas region on the ground and in the air,” the official said. “They are setting the conditions for what we believe will be a heavier offensive in the Donbas region.”
The senior defense official said Russians are moving in artillery units, command and control “enablers,” and aviation support.