A senior Ukrainian official said that important battles with Russia have not yet taken place even though hostilities between the two countries have lasted for more than 11 months.
In an interview with Sky News, Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, commented on Russia’s offensive in the near future. He said that Ukraine did not rule out “any scenario in the next two or three weeks” and suggested that “important Russian battles have not yet taken place”.
“Russia is preparing for maximum military escalation. They are preparing everything possible, conducting exercises and training,” he said.
“We’ve been through a long, difficult period, but I’m aware that the important battles are yet to come and they will happen this year, within two to three months. These will be the decisive month in the war,” the senior Ukrainian official commented.
He said: “The countries that helped us in the struggle against Russia have begun to give military aid to the maximum. We will certainly win with the support of the world.”
According to Mr. Danilov, he did not ignore the possibility that Russia might launch another attack in the north, south, and east countries like on February 24, 2022 – the day Russia launched its military operation.
He said that the Ukrainian military is preparing for all possibilities and this time they have significantly more support from their Western partners than they did more than 11 months ago.
Ukrainian officials predict that about half of the more than 320,000 troops, Russia mobilized last September could be involved in the offensive if Russia launches its next large-scale battle this year.
Mr. Danilov’s comments come in the context that, in just over a week, Western countries have pledged to aid Ukraine with 321 battle tanks. These commitments mark a turning point in the US and allied aid policy to Ukraine and are expected to help Kyiv significantly increase the capacity of its armored forces.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg, citing a source close to the Kremlin, said that Russia could open a new battle in February or March – before Ukraine receives tanks from the West.
After several months of early 2022 on the defensive, Ukraine took the initiative last fall with counterattacks in the northeast and an offensive in the south aimed at recapturing much of its territory. In response to the situation, Russia has urgently recruited new recruits to replenish forces for the front line and speed up the production of military equipment.
Now, the battle in Ukraine is focused on the Donbas region on the Eastern front. Russia is said to be looking for a breakthrough here before Kyiv’s Western allies deliver tanks to Ukraine, weapons that Kyiv says will help it cut through Russia’s defenses and regain control. more territories.
