The Ukrainian counter-offensive has been expected for months. Now Selenskyj and a consultant contradict each other. In the West, however, people still believe in a counterattack.
Kyiv – Confusion about the Ukrainian counter-offensive: Kyiv is not yet ready to launch the long-awaited counterstrike against Russian forces, claimed Igor Zhovkva, a close associate Volodymyr Zelenskyyz. “If you want to start a successful counter-offensive, you need everything that is available,” said Schowka Sunday Times. He added that the Ukraine tanks, armored vehicles and artillery. “So we probably don’t have enough,” said Schowka.
He contradicts Selenskyj, who declared just a few days ago that they were ready for the counteroffensive and did not want to wait any longer. It is uncertain whether opinions in Kiev are actually divided, or whether there is a calculation behind Zhovka’s claims. In any case, in recent months, while Western analysts have been anticipating the “spring offensive,” Ukrainian officials have said that the success of the counter-offensive depends on supplies from the West. Operational details were never revealed.
West expects Ukraine to counterattack soon – “nervousness and insecurity” in Russia
Also Selenskyj, who in conversation with the Wall Street Journal asserted that the counterattack would be and would be successful, at the same time demanding more Patriot missile defense systems from the USA. As far as the counter-offensive is concerned, the army “cannot wait for months” despite everything. On Telegram, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said there would be “no launch announcement” for the counteroffensive. Additionally, she mentioned that “plans love silence.” Her counterpart Volodymyr Havrylov told the news agency Reuters only that they would launch a counterattack “with the aim of liberating our territories this year”.
Apparently, Ukraine is still not revealing any details about the military plans. “Authorities have begun enforcing a stricter regime of silence about operations in preparation for the upcoming counter-offensives,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, wrote in one assessment from Saturday. In the same report, however, the ISW argued that the counter-offensive was imminent – one reason for this at the moment was “the Russian overemphasis on smaller tactical battles”.
The propaganda out Russia would also illustrate “nervousness and uncertainty with regard to the forthcoming counter-offensive,” wrote the ISW. (nak)
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