The head of the movement “We stand with Russia” Volodymyr Rogov said that the Ukrainian troops have accumulated reserves of personnel, ammunition and armored vehicles, thereby completing the preparations for an offensive in the Zaporozhye region.
“They have completed their preparations for the so-called ‘counter-attack’ by drawing a considerable amount of personnel, armored vehicles and ammunition into the Zaporozhye region,” Rogov told RIA Novosti.
According to him, now the Ukrainian army is waiting for a “continuation” and their attack “could happen at any moment.”
“We are ready to face the enemy fully armed,” said Rogov, expressing the view that an attempted counterattack could be “the beginning of the end” for the Ukrainian army.
Rogov also described the reports on the preparations for the evacuation of local residents in the region as “filled by the Ukrainian special services”.
“Nothing like this has ever happened. Russia can protect its lands and citizens. The defense of our region is constantly being strengthened,” he said. At the same time, the official suggested strengthening the air defense system against the increasing bombardment of the region.
“It would never hurt to strengthen the air defense system,” said Rogov, adding that the Ukrainian army “threw together in such a way as to suffocate the air defense system.”
What is known about the counterattack
Politicians in Kiev and Western countries have repeatedly talked about the spring counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army. In particular, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, in an interview with the Wyborcza newspaper, said that the Ukrainian troops are actively preparing for this and they plan to start after the meltdown ends.
“Our soil is watered a lot in the spring. Only tracked vehicles may be used. I think we can see them [танки Leopard] In April-May,” he said, and urged Kiev’s European partners to strengthen military assistance with heavy equipment.
According to him, the offensive is planned in several directions, and during 2023 the world will see “very positive changes for Ukraine”.
“I am confident that we will continue to liberate temporarily occupied territories, as was done in Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumi, Kharkov and Kherson,” Reznikov said.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces was “prepared to be strong in war” and did not give specific details and timing of the counterattack to prevent the Russian side from preparing for it.
But we will, and they need to know that. “They still have time to go, or we will destroy them,” Zelensky said during his visit to the Chernihiv region.
Washington expects Ukraine to launch spring offensive “next week”, said Julianne Smith, the US Ambassador to NATO. The White House had previously promised Kiev that NATO would provide Ukraine with everything needed for a counterattack.
Against the background of discussions of a counterattack, France promised to increase the supply of 155 mm shells to Ukraine.
“Paris will provide the necessary equipment for the Ukrainian counterattack: we will double its supply to increase the number of 155mm shells to 2,000 per month,” French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview with Le Figaro. He also said that “in the near future, France will supply Kiev with a SAMP / T anti-aircraft missile system.”
On March 27, Aleksey Arestovich, a former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, warned that if the West did not send long-range weapons to Kiev, the counterattack of the Ukrainian army would result in huge losses.
“If we have such an opportunity, we can successfully attack even with less well-trained troops. “Otherwise, even trained infantrymen would shed seas of blood.”
At the same time, according to the former adviser, at the moment there is no talk of the delivery of long-range weapons. “Probably the upcoming counterattack will not be the last, so we will need help for the next attack,” added Arestovich.
“Time is very important”
rate New York Times, Ukraine is ready for a spring counterattack, but the lack of weapons, casualties and maintaining the motivation of the troops can be a serious test. The authors of the publication believe that the attack will begin “in about a month.”
At the same time, according to journalists, “time is very important” because “The US military aid budget is expected to run out by about September”. The newspaper reported that a Pentagon official described the last slice of shells and missiles sent to Ukraine as “a final move” since Ukraine’s allies did not have ammunition.
According to analysts interviewed by the publication, Ukraine must “take significant territory during the impending offensive” to continue receiving funding from the United States. At the same time, Kiev’s success in the offensive operation is “not quite guaranteed”.
The NYT explains the problems facing the Ukrainian military “The Allies were slow to send weapons and soldiers had to be content with crash courses in offensive tactics.”
At the same time, it remains unclear whether the number of guns is sufficient to break through Russian fortifications and minefields. Military analysts say that these areas are one of the main dangers in a counterattack, as Russia has a large arsenal of mines.
In their view, during the counterattack, Ukraine could carry out heavy artillery shelling on a narrow section of the front line, followed by sappers and tank attacks to clear the area.
Experts estimate that the depth of the attack will be about 80 km, and the intended direction of the attack will be Melitopol.
“The attack on Melitopol will divide Russian-held territory into two zones, cut supply lines and make Russian bases in Crimea accessible to Ukrainian artillery,” military analysts quoted the publication.