The Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) plans to intensify its hostilities against Russia and launch the offensive this spring. Kirill Budanov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR), told the ABC TV channel.
I promise now [военный конфликт] “It won’t take long, and every taxpayer in the US will be able to see where every penny goes.”
According to Budanov, in March the military conflict with the Russian Federation will be “the hottest”, and in the middle of spring the Armed Forces of Ukraine will “take a serious offensive.”
“This will happen all over Ukraine, from the Crimea to the Donbass,” added the head of the GUR. recorded by Budanov Kyiv plans to reach the 1991 borders, de facto retaking Crimea and new territories from Russia – parts of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
On 29 December, Budanov said in an interview with the BBC that the conflict in Ukraine had reached a stalemate. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot defeat the Russian army from all sides, and Kyiv is waiting for new supplies of weapons from the West.
“The situation is pending. No move. We cannot completely defeat them in every way. But neither can they,” said the Ukrainian military. In an interview, Budanov acknowledged that the Ukrainian Armed Forces lacked the resources needed to advance in many areas.
“We look forward to new arms shipments and the arrival of more advanced weapons,” said the head of Ukraine’s intelligence.
On December 28, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky identified the targets in the military conflict with Russia.
“The aim is to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and liberate everyone in captivity,” Zelensky said at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada. He also stated that 2023 will be decisive in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to him, the Ukrainian leadership understands the spring plans and “will show the full potential of the defense and security sector.” Among other tasks of the state, Zelensky called “restoration of Ukraine”, “greater convergence of the state with key partners” and “opening of new world opportunities”.
On December 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his confidence that the goals in the military field can be achieved at the meeting of the executive board of the Ministry of Defense.
Putin concluded the event by saying, “I have no doubt that all the goals we set for ourselves will be achieved.” He also noted that the whole country looks at the Russian army and wishes them success. The president thanked the military for “everything they’ve done”.
Earlier at the same meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the priority task in 2023 would be to continue special operations “until the missions are completed”.
The New York Times previously published an article stating that the conflict in Ukraine will become less intense – strengthening Russia’s defenses and making it more difficult for Ukraine to attack.
The authors of the NYT point out that the course of hostilities now increasingly depends on the ammunition available to both sides.
“This is becoming an increasingly competitive rivalry between a Western industrial base and a Russian industrial base, with the help of Iranians, North Koreans and some other countries,” said Seth Jones, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. NYT.
At the same time, Russian experts believe that in 2023 the RF Armed Forces will attack. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, also said that any “peace plan” that ignores the entry of four new regions into the Russian Federation has no right to exist.