VIDEO | Andonovic: Kyiv is afraid of Russia's new military plans
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote late last night through his profile on the social network "Telegram" that the Russian forces are "planning something in the south".
"Despite the extremely large Russian losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance in the Donetsk region, entrench themselves in Luhansk, move to Kharkiv, they are planning something in the south," Zelensky wrote.
After the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson, the focus again fell on the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukrainian Defense Minister Volodymyr Gavrilov recently told Sky News that it was "possible" that their troops would retake the Crimean peninsula by the end of December and that an all-out war with Russia could be over by spring.
However, it cannot be ignored that Ukrainian signals about that campaign could be false, as when Kyiv said it would launch a southern counteroffensive only to attack Kharkiv in the north.
The fighting is currently taking place in the eastern region of Donetsk, which together with Luhansk makes up Donbas and is one of Russia's military priorities highlighted in April.
The New York Times recently reported that the battle for the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, the fiercest battle since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian side has 250 wounded per day, without giving an estimate of the dead.
Despite the optimistic announcements of the Ukrainians, the analyzes in the Western media are getting louder, citing intelligence information, indicating that Russia could launch the biggest military offensive since the beginning of the special military operation before the New Year.
It is believed that then the muddy earth will completely freeze from the low temperatures, and the Russian military equipment will be able to move and maneuver faster. The recently mobilized 300 soldiers are also mentioned, with which the combat units of the Russian army engaged on the front in Ukraine are largely replenished.
Both the weather conditions and the increase in the number of Russian troops indicate that Moscow is planning to start a new phase in the annexation of Ukraine.
Hence the panic appeals of Kyiv, whose authorities are looking for large quantities of weapons and military equipment to defend against a possible new invasion attempt by the Russian army.