Reinforcements are pulling the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) to the right bank of the Dnieper, which is preparing to force the river. This was reported to RIA Novosti by Vladimir Saldo, acting governor of the Kherson region.
“The right [северо-западном] On the banks of the Dnieper, enemy units maneuver, change positions and create false units, manpower and equipment are transferred, watercraft are assembled. There are signs of an attempt to cross the Dnieper and preparations for the concealment of this preparation, ”the official said.
The balance also suggested that the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were “not enough” for a successful operation to force the Dnieper River, due to the lack of equipment, watercraft and weapons, although “enough people were captured”.
On April 11, the American newspaper The Washington Post published an article stating that the United States did not expect much success from the expected attack on Ukraine.
The authors of the material talk about the Pentagon’s secret intelligence leaked to the Internet. At the same time, this position contradicts the public statements of representatives of the White House about the combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“According to US intelligence estimates, Ukraine’s problems with the concentration of troops, ammunition and equipment could lead its military forces to “significantly” lag behind Kiev’s original targets for the expected counteroffensive this spring, aimed at recapturing Russian-occupied areas. It says “material”.
Confidential documents say that a possible offensive operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a high probability could only lead to “small territorial gains”.
On March 30, Volodymyr Rogov, a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, the head of the movement “We are with Russia” said that the Ukrainian army strengthened its grouping in the Zaporozhye direction.
“Ukrainian troops are actively assembling Western armored vehicles and weapons. This includes tanks including the M777 howitzer, HIMARS, the French AMX-10RC. Everything was handed over to the Zaporozhye front,” he said.
According to him, with currently available weapons and equipment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can try to organize an attack. Rogov also stated that Ukraine is preparing various scenarios for a counterattack. According to him, the options for both a ground operation and forcing the Dnieper into the Energodar region can be considered.
On March 29, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine plans to launch a counterattack in April-May.
“It depends on which moment is the most favorable and weather conditions,” Reznikov said in an interview with the Estonian portal ERR.ee. He stated that our “partners” fully “consciously supported” the idea of a counterattack.
On April 10, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the Ukrainian offensive could begin in the coming weeks.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Ukraine’s partners have two goals – to help organize the offensive of the Ukrainian army and to establish the medium and long-term military potential of Ukraine.