Ukraine's spring offensive is drawing near.
Before the attacks, however, there are apparently internal doubts.
Leaked chat messages from a soldier suggest this.
KIEV – More than 430 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are signs of another counter-offensive.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov recently said that preparations for a spring offensive are almost complete, and military experts expect Ukrainian attacks to intensify in the near future.
This is intended to recapture the areas currently occupied by Russia.
However, the mission does not seem easy.
Apparently, the Ukrainian military is also aware of this.
Problems with Ukraine offensive: Soldier names three concerns
The US broadcaster CNN quotes a chat message from a Ukrainian soldier.
In it, the man – he calls himself Artur – describes problems for a possible counter-offensive.
"We are ready and have been waiting for the counteroffensive for a long time," writes the soldier, according to CNN.
The Ukrainian military has shown in previous offensives how successful it can be - but he is concerned about three aspects that make a successful operation difficult.
Russia knowledge about Ukraine plans
Putin's partial mobilization
Waiting for Kiev
The Ukrainian counter-offensive has indicated for weeks that Russia can prepare accordingly.
"We no longer have a surprise effect," writes Artur.
"Every smartphone announces this counter-offensive." Ukraine's plans are already a topic on Russian state television.
The Russian journalist Mikhail Khodarjonok spoke on the state television channel
Russia-1
that there was now “no doubt” that Ukraine would launch a counter-offensive.
Kiev already hinted on Tuesday that Moscow would integrate the Ukrainian plans into its military strategy.
Specifically, Ukraine accused Russia of changing tactics with targeted rocket attacks on residential areas.
"There is no doubt that they are carrying out direct attacks on civilian apartment buildings or places where there are many houses of the civilian population," said advisor to the presidential office Mykhailo Podoliak on Tuesday night on Ukrainian television.
Among other things, the Kremlin wants to provoke a premature counter-offensive by Kiev.
In addition, Moscow wants to test whether Ukraine is able to protect its own airspace.
Counter-offensive in the Ukraine war
The Russian Federation currently occupies around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Kiev's announced major offensive in the Ukraine war has been expected for several weeks.
The attacked country also wants to reconquer the occupied areas with the help of western weapons.
"If we continue to wait, we could no longer see a counter-offensive"
Second, according to the soldier in the alleged chat messages, Russia's military has changed.
New soldiers were added as a result of Putin's partial mobilization, which was announced months ago.
However, it is unclear how strong the Russian military actually is in terms of losses on the battlefield.
According to CNN, Arthur named the previous pace as the last point.
"Third.
The more we wait and gather forces, the more they attack our camps and deployment sites.” Ukraine's weapons are intended to be destroyed by destroying military camps, for example.
The soldier's prognosis: "If we continue to wait, we could no longer experience a counter-offensive."
For Ukraine offensive: Kiev demands more weapons
Western arms supplies play a decisive role in the counteroffensive.
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 98 percent of the promised weapons have already been made available.
But from Ukraine's point of view, more weapons are needed.
"For the planned counter-offensive, we need more armored vehicles, tanks and artillery systems, and long-range ammunition in the shortest possible time," demanded the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, in the newspapers of the Funke media group.
In an interview with Scandinavian media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the success of the counter-offensive depends on the timing and volume of Western arms deliveries.
soldier
Meanwhile, Artur is optimistic despite the doubts: "We know that our command is able to carry out a counter-offensive."
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