Ukraine says Russia is preparing 200,000 new troops to attack Kyiv

The Russians are preparing some 200,000 new soldiers, the Ukrainian general said.

Kyiv:

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces expects a new Russian attack on Kyiv in the first months of 2023, according to an interview with The Economist published on Thursday.

Much of the fighting has recently been concentrated in the east and south, but General Valeriy Zaluzhny told the British weekly that the capital would be under attack again.

A “very important strategic task is to create reserves and prepare for the war that can take place in February, at best in March and at worst at the end of January,” he said in a Dec. 3 interview published Thursday. .

“The Russians are preparing about 200,000 new soldiers. I have no doubt that they will have another chance in Kyiv,” he said in the interview.

“We have done all the calculations: how many tanks, artillery we need and so on.”

At the end of February, Moscow sent its forces into the Ukraine with the aim of quickly capturing Kyiv.

In a victory for the Ukrainian army, the invaders were held back several tens of kilometers from the capital before withdrawing from the region in late March and early April.

The general said that among his current problems was “holding this (front) line,” which runs from south to east, “and not losing any more ground” after driving the Russians back from the northeastern Kharkiv region in September. and Kherson in the south last month.

For Zaluzhny, the Russians have bombarded energy infrastructure since October after a series of humiliating setbacks on the battlefield because they “need time to gather resources” for a broad offensive in the coming months.

“I’m not an energy expert, but it seems to me that we are at the limit,” he said, stating that destruction of the power grid was “possible” through missile strikes and drones.

Waves of attacks on the power grid that have already taken place have caused massive power outages across the country, leaving millions of Ukrainians in the cold and dark of winter.

“I know I can beat this enemy,” the general continued. “But I need resources.

“I need 300 tanks, 600-700 ifvs (infantry fighting vehicles) 500 howitzers.”

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