Russia increases number of troops in Bakhmut direction to 80,000 — ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shared the information in its report.

It noted that Russian and Ukrainian troops continued positional fighting near Bakhmut on January 14, but no changes in the front line in the area were confirmed.

A Russian Kremlin-affiliated milblogger claimed that Russian troops had advanced northwest of Bohdanivka near Bakhmut, although ISW found no visual evidence to support this claim.

Russian and Ukrainian sources also claimed that positional fighting continued west of Bakhmut near Khromove and southwest of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka, Andriivka and Niu York.

At the same time, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigade operating in the Bakhmut direction said that Russian forces had increased the number of troops in this area to about 80,000 and that units of the Russian "volunteer corps" were conducting an assault in the Bakhmut direction.

• The ISW report also states that the Russians will launch a large-scale offensive in Ukraine sometime between January 12 and February 2 after the ground in the east and south freezes.