Ukraine Has Big Plans for an Offensive: Amid rumors that Ukraine is preparing a new counter-offensive against Russian invaders, the country’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, threatened to strike Russia with an “iron fist” on Friday.
During an online briefing, the Ukrainian official revealed that Ukrainian forces are preparing a new offensive against Russia , though stopped short of providing exact details or an expected timeframe.
“As soon as there is God’s will, the weather and a decision by commanders, we will do it,” Reznikov said, adding that Ukraine is “to a high percentage ready” to launch new attacks.
During the briefing, Reznikov also reportedly said that Western weapons would be the “iron fist” in the new offensive. The comments reaffirm reports for the last several weeks about Ukraine’s intention to launch a renewed effort to push back Russian forces, and even potentially cutting off the land bridge established between Crimea and mainland Russia.
The talk of a fresh counteroffensive also comes after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that NATO countries have delivered virtually all of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine.
“More than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. That means over 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition,” Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels.
“In total, we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in the strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” he added.
The comments could suggest that Kyiv was not only waiting for the weather and ground conditions to improve to launch a new assault, but also for all promised combat vehicles to arrive in the country.
And, while the counteroffensive is yet to officially begin, Ukrainian forces are already testing the waters in Kherson by repeatedly crossing the Dnipro River and establishing positions on the east bank. After Ukrainian forces successfully crossed the river, Ukrainian shells also hit Tokmak, a small settlement between Melitopol and Zaporizhzhia that is occupied by Russian forces.
According to military analyst Sim Tack, both actions suggest that Ukrainian forces are headed towards Crimea. Establishing strong positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River would give Ukraine a shot at crossing the land bridge between Crimea and the Donbas region.
At the same time, Tokmak could also provide an alternative route towards Russian-occupied territories to the south.
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
