Russia Prepares New Forces for Another Offensive, Including Towards Kyiv: Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander

Russia is preparing military personnel and accumulating weapons for a new offensive against Ukraine, which could begin in January, February, or closer to spring. This opinion was expressed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in an interview with The Economist published on December 15.

Zaluzhnyi described the attempt by Russian troops to capture Kyiv in the early days of the large-scale invasion as a "correct decision" from a military standpoint. He noted that he would have acted similarly, as capturing the capital is the easiest way to achieve one's objective.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces believes that Russian Chief of General Staff Valerii Gerasimov had no alternatives and, following the retreat, "focused on Donbas" to preserve remaining resources. As a result, according to Zaluzhnyi, the situation in Donbas is currently "difficult" for the Ukrainian armed forces. However, for the Russian army, it is an overall strategically desperate situation.

Understanding this is one of the reasons why the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces anticipates a Russian offensive in 2023 and is confident that the Russians are, like during World War II, "preparing new resources somewhere beyond the Urals." Zaluzhnyi sees the preparation for intensive military operations, which could begin in February, as a strategic task for the Ukrainian armed forces. He emphasized that it is crucial for the Ukrainian armed forces to be able to fight with fresh troops and reserves.

He mentioned that the Ukrainian troops are currently exhausted from battles and are "bleeding" while demonstrating courage, heroism, and the ability to maintain control over the situation.

In the worst case, Zaluzhnyi believes that the Russians will become more active in January, leaving the Ukrainian Armed Forces with less time to prepare reserves. In the best-case scenario, this could happen in March. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces predicts that the Russian offensive might start not from Donbas but could be directed at Kyiv, including from Belarus. He does not rule out the possibility of an attack by the adversary from the south.

He underscored that the Ukrainian armed forces have made all calculations regarding how many tanks, artillery pieces, and other resources are necessary to repulse the Russian side's offensive. According to him, it is now more important to focus not on current needs but on accumulating resources for prolonged and difficult battles that may commence next year.