Russia builds up reserves for early 2023 offensive, Ukraine says
Oleksii Reznikov (Photo:REUTERS/Murad Sezer)
A new Russian offensive could take place as early as February 2023, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with The Guardian on Dec. 15.
Reznikov added that the new batch of mobilized Russians could be better prepared than the troops already deployed in Ukraine.
"The second batch of the mobilized troops, approximately 150,000 people, began their training courses across various camps," said Reznikov.
"The training will take at least three months. Therefore, they are trying to start the next wave of the offensive as soon as possible in February, just like last year. That's their plan."
The minister also described the tactics of Russian military command as a "meat grinder," as they threw as many bodies into the battle as possible, hoping to destroy the smaller Ukrainian army.
Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, also stated that Russia may go on a new offensive in February.
Zaluzhnyi noted that the attack may not take place in Donbas, but instead aim to threaten Kyiv once again, crossing into Ukraine from Belarus.
According to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in the coming months invading Russian forces may resume attempts at offensive operations along two main axes: in northeastern Ukraine along the border of Kharkiv, and either Luhansk or Donetsk oblasts.
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