Russia is planning a major offensive against Kyiv for the first anniversary of its February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov told Radio Free Europe on Friday.
“Now they are preparing for the maximum activation, considering that they are people of the ‘scoop’, and they believe that by the anniversary they must have some achievements. It is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24,” Danilov said.
Ukrainian soldiers are seen walking to the front lines with their armored military vehicles as attacks continue on the Donbass front, during the Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on January 24, 2023.
(Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY HONORS HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY, LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ: ‘INDIFFERENCE KILLS’
Ukrainian and Western defense officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is planning a wave offensive in an attempt to turn the tide of the war.
But the details surrounding the impending offensive remain unclear.
Danilov reportedly said Russia will first seek to secure the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where the most brutal war continues to take place in an area known as the Donbas.
According to the National Security official, Russia has also been exploring Ukraine’s defense capabilities in the Zaporizhzhia region, parts of which have been retaken by Ukrainian forces.
“And now there is a certain buildup of troops. We know this, we understand what is happening in the Russian Federation in this regard,” Danilov said.
The United States and Germany have agreed to send urgently needed tanks to Ukraine for their troops on the front lines, clearing the way for other nations such as Poland to send their own German-made Leopard 2 tanks from their stockpiles.
A convoy of Ukrainian forces is heading to Debaltseve, Donetsk region.
(ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)
RUSSIA REACTS TO US, GERMANY DELIVERIES TANKS TO UKRAINE: ‘DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN THE CONFLICT’
Although the US deal to send M1 Abrams tanks was made with the understanding that it will take several months to train Ukrainian troops in the sophisticated equipment, concerns remain that the contribution of tanks from Europe could also take too long. weather.
Poland announced on Friday that it would send 60 tanks on top of Germany’s promise to send 88 tanks, though Berlin said only 14, a company’s worth, would be sent initially.
Warsaw said it would also send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks along with 30 of its Polish-built PT-91 main battle tanks, which first entered service in the 1990s, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian soldiers are seen walking to the front lines with their armored military vehicles as attacks continue on the Donbass front, during the Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on January 24, 2023.
(Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But despite Poland’s immediate proximity to Ukraine, the tank shipment is expected to take three months before Warsaw’s supply of Leopard tanks arrives on the Ukrainian battlefield, well past the impending anniversary less than a year away. month.
Britain, France, Norway and Canada have also pledged tank deliveries.
