Russia preparing new offensive in coming weeks, Ukrainian official says
Ukrainian soldiers shoot from Grad near Maryinka, February 7 (Photo:REUTERS/Marko Djurica)
Russian forces are getting ready to launch a new major offensive in Ukraine on Feb. 24 – the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said in an interview with NV Radio on Feb. 6.
The Ukrainian official also said that Russians “will try to attack somewhere” on that day.
“We are preparing for any development of events,” Danilov added.
“We know the enemy’s condition and what is happening within their ranks. I wouldn’t say today that we can absolutely relax and that the victory is already in our pocket. We still have a lot of work to do so that we can liberate our entire native land from these terrorists, who have invaded it since 2014.”
On Feb. 5, the Financial Times reported that Moscow’s new large-scale offensive might begin within the next 10 days – before Ukraine receives an influx of Western heavy weapons.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov previously said that during a possible new offensive in February, Russia will not try to seize the entire country at once, but will instead conduct focused pushes in specific directions. According to Reznikov, key risks are in eastern and southern Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin expects that a new offensive by the Russian army in February-March 2023 will allow the occupiers to seize the initiative in the war.
Meanwhile, he remains determined to wage war against Ukraine for many years, Bloomberg said.
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