“Now or never”: Ukraine is preparing a complex counteroffensive against Russian troops

Ukrainian forces have resisted a Russian invasion in the cities and trenches in the eastern part of the country for months, and now that Moscow’s troops seem to be losing steam, they feel it’s time for a counter-offensive, for now without a precise date.

“If our General Staff says that we have enough soldiers, enough shells and enough to attack, we are ready,” a Ukrainian soldier known as Mark, in the Donetsk region, told AFP.

Russia suffered major setbacks last year, having managed to withdraw from the Kyiv and Kharkov regions (east) and the city of Kherson in the south.

Military experts believe that Ukrainian troops have little room for maneuver this time around.

Ukraine he claims to have formed assault brigades and stockpiled ammunition while at the same time trying to give his soldiers a breather and wear down the enemy on the front lines. He also received tanks and long-range artillery from his Western partners.

All this for the sake of this long-awaited counter-offensive, which is increasingly presented as the last attempt to repel Moscow’s forces from the occupied territories.

“Who knows when he’ll be back Ukraine have this opportunity? Now or never,” sums up Mykola Beleskov, researcher at the Kyiv National Institute for Strategic Studies.

find a good time

The big question at the moment is to know when is the counteroffensive. Ukraine.

Recently, the Ministry of Defense published humorous footage of a soldier dancing in a trench full of mud, with the caption: “When the ground hardens, it will be possible to attack.”

Beleskov believes that, in addition to weather conditions, the main thing is “the acquisition by the Ukrainian troops of the weapons promised by the West and the synchronization of intelligence and logistics.”

According to him, preparations for the Ukrainian offensive may be completed in June-July.

“Everyone in Kyiv knows that a premature offensive is less likely to succeed,” Beleskov adds.

Likely targets are the southern regions of Zaporiye and Kherson, partially occupied by Russian troops. With its capture, Kyiv will interrupt the land corridor connecting Russia with the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Ukrainian howitzers will play an important role in this battle against positions that Russia managed to get stronger.

army Ukraine However, deployed at different points on the front, they told the AFP news agency that they were being overwhelmed by the firepower of Russian artillery, which clearly had a much larger reserve of howitzers.

In this sense, the EU adopted in March a plan for 2 billion euros intended for the supply of Ukraine ammunition.

“Unlike the Russians, we are not interested in the number of shots, but their accuracy. That’s how Ukraine expects to make up for this deficit,” says Mikola Beleskov. “The problem is that we pay for it with men,” he says.

air defense key

Recruitment announcements broadcast throughout Kyiv signal a massive effort to build a new force capable of counter-offensive, especially after more than a year of fighting has taken its toll.

Kyiv did not release the figures, although the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was on the front lines on the eastern front, warned that Moscow must be ready to repel the forces. Ukraine numbering from 200,000 to 400,000 people.

Leaked classified US documents, most of which appear to be genuine, speak of a shortage of precision-guided equipment and munitions on the Ukrainian side, as well as the exhaustion of air defense systems.

“Without air supremacy, it is difficult to carry out an offensive under the fire of enemy aircraft, to put it mildly,” Ukrainian aviation spokesman Yuri Ignat recently admitted.

Authorities Ukraine they were quick to minimize the impact of these document leaks and assured that counter-offensive plans were “still being prepared”. (According to AFP)

OUR PODCASTS

“Espacio Vital”: Dr. Johan Campos, general practice urologist, oncologist at Santa Rosa Hospital, pointed out that andropause occurs when testosterone production declines with age. Similarly, the decline occurs after about 40 years of age.

Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. subscribe to our mailing list