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Kyiv: Russia is sending reinforcements to eastern Ukraine as it prepares to launch a new offensive next week along front lines where fighting has been raging for months, a Ukrainian governor said.
With the arrival of desperate Western military aid, Ukraine has raised expectations that Russia could launch a major offensive for “symbolic” reasons around the anniversary of the Feb. 24 attack, which Moscow called “special forces”. “Operation”.
Some analysts say Ukraine itself is planning a spring offensive to regain lost ground but is awaiting deliveries of Western long-range missiles and main battle tanks. It’s still a few months away from being ready.
“We’re seeing more and more (Russian) reserves being deployed in our direction, we’re seeing more equipment being brought in…,” mainly from Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Lugansk province. Governor Sirhi Hedai said.
“The ammunition they bring is being used in a different way than before — it’s not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They’re slowly starting to flee, getting ready for a full-scale attack,” Ukraine’s Hedai said. tell the tv. “They will probably take 10 days to collect the deposit.
We can expect (this offensive) any time after February 15th. As the turning point in the war approaches its one-year anniversary, Ukraine no longer enjoys the benefits it once had. In the second half of 2022, Russia leads with hundreds. Thousands of active-duty reserve soldiers.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a reshuffling of border and front-line personnel would bolster Ukraine’s military efforts as Russia pushed eastward for the first time in six months amid uncertainty over the future of his defense minister sex. This is a step.
In a speech Monday night, Zelensky said he wanted to combine military and administrative experience in local and central government, but did not directly address confusion over whether to replace Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.will
On Sunday, Zelensky’s parliamentary bloc head, David Alacamia, said Reznikov would be transferred to another ministerial position, but wrote on Monday that “there will be no MoD this week. Personnel changes.”
Zelensky said he needed to demonstrate that Ukraine was a safe haven for billions of dollars in Western military and other aid, and that his government was undergoing the biggest political and administrative reshuffle since the Russian invasion nearly a year ago. yes.
“In many areas, especially border or frontline areas, we will appoint leaders with military experience. Those who can prove themselves most effective against current threats,” he said. they said.
The EU said Zelensky had been invited to a summit of bloc leaders and reports suggested he could arrive in Brussels as soon as this week, the second time he has been known since the attack. There will be a visit abroad. Zielinski’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
New Russian Offensive
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Ryzenkov told Ukrainian Pravda over the weekend that intelligence indicated any new Russian attacks would come from the east or south. “They dream of extending the land corridor to Crimea to continue the supply. So, of course, there are the main threats: east, south and then north,” he said. Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
Ukrainian defense analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said the new Russian attack could come from one of four directions. East Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Mariupol cities and ports. The situation is even more serious in the Donetsk region, especially near Bakhmut and Ivodka.
Russia says safety infrastructure at Zaporozhye NPP near completion: TASS
Kovalenko, from the “Information Resistance” think tank, told Ukraine’s Radio NV that the Russians are increasing their troops there as well as equipment and paratroopers.
For months, Russia’s main target in eastern Ukraine has been Bakhmut, where state media say Wagner’s mercenary group has established a foothold. Ukraine said late on Monday that Russian troops had conducted tank, mortar and artillery fire training there over the past 24 hours.
Kovalenko said Mariupol, which was captured by Russian troops last May, could be used by the Russians to transport troops and equipment for a new offensive. He said it could serve as a transportation hub for Russian occupying forces.
Kovalenko said Ukrainian retaliation would not come soon and Ukrainian troops would take defensive positions, especially in Donetsk. “It could be an active defense, but it’s still a defensive stance. The idea is to deter any advance by Russia,” he said.
“In other areas, things may change more quickly. But this situation may last for two to two and a half months-this is the time when the brigades need to resupply tanks, train and prepare everything.
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