The head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that he observed the activation of the Ukrainian armed forces, which marked the beginning of the previously announced counteroffensive.
“I believe that the offensive of the Ukrainian army has actually already begun. “We see the highest activity of enemy aviation, we see the highest activity across the perimeter and inside our front,” he said. answered From Prigozhin to a question from Nakanune.ru about the situation at the front.
At the same time, the founder of PMC said that “we check our front inside”, but throughout the perimeter “unfortunately the situation is not looking, let’s say, in the best way”. When asked how reliable the Russian forces’ wings were, Prigozhin also refused to answer, stating that he would “keep silent on this matter for now”.
The head of the “Wagnerians” commented on the recent drone strikes outside the “historical borders of Ukraine – the Russian Federation” and noted that the Ukrainian forces are also gaining momentum inside the Russian Federation.
“Therefore, I think everything is already gone. When will it be active? I think in the near future, maybe in a few days,” he concluded.
Yuriy Sobolevsky, vice-president of the Kherson District Council, appointed by Kiev. statedThat the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the south can be characterized as the beginning of a counterattack, since all military operations currently carried out in the south are covered by this definition.
The vice-president of the Kherson District Council stressed that there would be no announced date for the start of the counteroffensive.
at the finish line
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in an interview with Fox News the previous day that Washington was aware of Kiev’s plans to launch an offensive in the coming weeks.
“We know that the Ukrainians are planning a counterattack in the coming weeks,” he said. quotes Blinken State Department website.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said the country was “almost ready” for a counterattack.
“Today I believe we have crossed that finish line where we can say, ‘Yes, everything is ready. After that, by solving and understanding the situation on the battlefield, the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief and his team will understand how, where and when.”
According to Reznikov, they realize in Kiev that support from their allies will depend on the success of the counterattack. Ukraine’s partners “want to invest” in its success and stressed that it is very important for them that the weapons transferred to Kiev yield results.
Zaporozhye
Volodymyr Rogov, head of the Zaporozhye movement “We stand by Russia”, believes that the Ukrainian army will try, first of all, to launch counterattacks in the Zaporozhye region. Russian forces are preparing with all their might to repel the attack.
“Zelensky’s militants are actually preparing for an offensive in the Zaporozhye region. Rogov said that the required number of military and equipment has been deployed.
Several lines of deep defense were built in the area, designed to stop the offensive attempts of the Ukrainian troops.
To date, more than 70% of the territory of the Zaporozhye region is controlled by the RF Armed Forces. The city of Zaporozhye – remains the regional center under the control of the Ukrainian army. The Zaporozhye region became part of the Russian Federation after a referendum in September 2022.