Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov claims that Russian authorities are preparing a major offensive against Kyiv's territories in the New Year after Moscow shot down a potential Christmas ceasefire.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior Kyiv officials have issued warnings that Ukraine and its allies must guard against complacency. Senior generals have argued that the Russian offensive could focus on the eastern Donbas region, in the south, or even towards Kyiv.
Russia's Potential New Offensive
On the other hand, Western analysts said that Moscow's ability to conduct successful offensive ground operations is diminishing rapidly after multiple military setbacks. This week, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain's most senior military officer, said that the war between the two European nations would only get worse for Moscow. He added that Russia was now facing a critical shortage of artillery munitions.
Ukraine's defense minister said in a series of briefings to the media that there was evidence mounting that suggested Russia is planning a broad new offensive despite suffering a series of battlefield losses, as per BBC.
Reznikov speculated that the attack could happen in February when half of the 300,000 troops that were conscripted by Russia in October to support its military in its battle against Ukraine would complete their training regimen.
In an interview, the defense minister said that the second part of Moscow's mobilization, which is approximately 150,000, will need a minimum of three months to prepare. This means that Russian authorities are trying to start the next wave of the offensive in February, similar to what it did earlier this year.
According to Business Insider, the speculations come as Russia is believed to be waging a war on Ukraine's infrastructure by terrorizing civilians and committing potential war crimes. Ukrainian officials believe that this is all part of an effort to force a ceasefire that Moscow will take advantage of to replenish its forces.
Refusing a Christmas Ceasefire
Ukrainian General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that Russia was preparing some 200,000 fresh military troops, which was a reference to Moscow's recent mobilization efforts. He said that he believes they will have another go at Kyiv in the near future.
The official, who previously took command of Ukraine's military less than a year before Russia's invasion, suggested that Moscow is on the verge of crippling his country's energy infrastructure. If successful, this could have a devastating effect on the Ukrainian army's morale.
Zaluzhnyi continued that if Russia succeeds in destroying Ukraine's power grid, that would be the time when soldiers' wives and children start freezing. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month acknowledged that his military armed forces were indeed targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
The situation also comes after Russia refused a Christmas ceasefire that was on the table even after prisoner swaps that saw the release of dozens of imprisoned Russian soldiers. Currently, Russia and Ukraine are not in negotiations for a potential ceasefire or end to the war that has already taken the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions while reducing cities to rubble, Inquirer reported.
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