Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Alexey Danilov declared that the country is ready to launch the long-awaited counteroffensive against the Russian army.

He would not give an exact date, but said in an interview with the BBC that the offensive to retake the occupied territories could begin "tomorrow, the day after or in a week."

Danilov added that the Ukrainian government "has no right to make a mistake" because this is a "historic opportunity" that they cannot afford to lose.

As secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Danilov is one of the closest people to the president Volodymyr Zelenski.

He confirmed that some of Wagner's mercenary forces were withdrawing from the city of Bakhmut, but added that they had regrouped in three locations and that this did not mean they had stopped fighting.

Commenting on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Danilov noted that he was "absolutely calm" about it and that it was not news to him.

Ukraine has been planning a counteroffensive for months, but wanted as much time as possible to train troops and obtain military equipment from Western allies.

Meanwhile, the Russian forces were preparing their defenses.

Much is at stake, given that the government in Kiev needs to show Ukrainians and its Western allies that it can break through Russian lines, end the military conflict, and return part of its sovereign territory, reports Bi- BBC.