Minister of Defense of Ukraine Reznikov: Russia plans to time a large-scale performance by February 24
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February 24, Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov said. Russians, as a minister, live by symbols, they can be tracked somehow to “mark” the anniversary of their invasion of Ukraine.
According to estimates by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Russia has mobilized approximately 500,000 soldiers.
“They officially announced 300,000, but when we see borders at the borders, then, according to known signs, this is much more,” Reznikov said in an interview with the French television channel BFMTV.
The Minister of Defense’s words fit into the warning of the head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov, made a day earlier, that Russia could approach a large-scale attack from the north, south and east, as happened on February 24, 2022 . high probability of infection and infection in the West.
The minister is important in France, where decisions have been made to procure additional MG-200 type air defense radars, which he believes will significantly increase the military’s ability to detect aircraft, including cruise and ballistic missile targets, as well as various types of drones.
According to the president of Ukrainian intelligence, Vladimir Putin seized the Donbass from the military before the end of spring. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also recently said that Moscow could drastically increase its consumption of decisive action and launch a major crackdown on manufacturing.
At the same time, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, there are no signs that Putin is limiting his state goals only to seizing the eastern regions of Ukraine.
Earlier, the plans of the Russian General Staff began a new offensive against Ukraine The Kremlin in March or March 2023 was also reported by Bloomberg
These cases come as a result of an escalation in southeastern Ukraine, with heavy fighting in the Donbas region, and the previous day three people and eight were injured in Kramatorsk after Russian missiles were found in a residential building.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers are still clearing debris.
“The only way the president can fight Russian terrorism is to defeat him. With tanks. Fighters. Long-range missiles,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to this attack on his social networks.
Ukraine recently renewed calls for the supply of fighter jets to defend against air attacks after Germany, the US and the UK agreed to edit the tanks. According to the representation of the Ukrainian authorities, especially with Western air transportation, they are already on their way. However, US President Joe Biden at the beginning of the week answered in the negative to the question about the supply of American F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
From special and disperse
According to the head of the National Security and Defense Council Danilov, Ukraine intends a serious escalation by the Kremlin, which could begin in the next two to three weeks.
“Russia expects an imminent escalation,” Danilov said the day before. in an interview with Sky News. “She gathers all possible forces, follows exercises and trainings.”
Like the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin is trying to disperse Ukrainian forces and away from their special forces before a major attack. In particular, on February 1, he held a meeting on what was restored in the Crimea, Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk parts after shelling from Ukraine.
Putin’s emphasis on the danger of Ukrainian shelling of border regions is likely to serve a dual purpose. On the one hand, he intends to declare war in Ukraine as a fight against Russian citizens in order to enlist support for a protracted war inside Russia. On the other hand, to create conditions for escalation at the borders in order to disperse the Ukrainian forces, pressing them to the northeastern border area, ISW analysts believe. However, in their opinion, perhaps this plan fails as it approaches the northern side.
Apparently, it is believed in ISW, Russia could create a threat of attack in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions in the north and northeast of Ukraine in order to force Kyiv to deploy forces for defense, and thus from the most important ones before a significant offensive in the coming months.
Contrary to the fears of some observers that Russia could invade Belarus, for example, in order to cut the routes of the chain of weapons in Ukraine with the West, such an invasion of the ISW volume is regarded as highly unlikely.
As a general rule of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Russia is actively acquiring new weapons, revenues, increased production income, and profits from other authoritarian states like Iran and Europe.
“We see no sign that Putin has changed the general goal of this invasion – to control the neighbor, to rule Ukraine. So, while this is the case, we should be ready for a long journey,” Stoltenberg said.
Decisive months
Meanwhile, the Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and the regular army, who captured Soledar last month, are currently continuing to take Bakhmut.
Speaking on Wednesday evening, Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the situation on the southeastern front was becoming more and more real and seriously understood the strength of Ukrainian forces.
Upon the detention of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar, the Russians also discovered the capture of Liman, the former logistics center of the Russian army, which the Ukrainians recaptured in a car.
Our soldiers protect every centimeter of the Ukrainian land,” Maliar said in his telegram channel.
According to experts, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov, the most difficult battles are yet to come, and perhaps a few months will be decisive in the war.
At the same time, Danilov is sure that Ukrainian infected people currently have more support from Western partners than, including Britain, a year ago.
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