Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhnyi is planning a new counteroffensive. Ukraine is likely to raise resources for new operations in 2024. About this the German publication Welt.
It will take place according to the scenario developed by the Commander-in-Chief of the ZSU Valery Zaluzhny
The counteroffensive will be as it should have been in the summer of 2023. According to the publication, Zaluzhny was not a fan of starting a counteroffensive in 2023, as he saw no chance of success without sufficient support from the air.
The publication notes that many of the armored vehicles promised to be provided to Ukraine by the partners have not yet been used. Some of the equipment did not reach Ukraine at all. In particular, we are talking about Leopard 1 tanks. Germany and its allies promised to provide 200 tanks of the older version, of which, according to Welt, Ukraine received only 30 units.
German security expert and political adviser Nico Lange believes that Ukraine is betting on exhaustion.
"They are no longer trying to hold positions like in Bakhmut. Instead, they want to slow down the Russian troops and let them bleed." - he said.
The publication declares that Ukraine has big plans. This is evidenced by the list of weapons that the Ukrainian leadership handed over to the USA. Previously, the list was published by Reuters journalists, there were Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, as well as F-16 and F-18 fighters, long-range missile systems, Abrams tanks, numerous drones and ammunition.
According to Niko Lange, Ukraine is trying to move to mobile warfare, which was never implemented during the summer counteroffensive.
Welt added that Zaluzhny agreed to the summer counteroffensive only for political reasons. According to the publication, the commander-in-chief saw no chance of success without sufficient air support. Therefore, he replaced the offensive with the use of equipment for assaults by small infantry groups.
Journalists believe that without mechanized support, a quick breakthrough was impossible. The replacement was a smart move by Zaluzhnyi. By attacking small units, he kept his soldiers, weapons systems from the West and won important time.
"Ukraine is probably gathering resources for a new counteroffensive next year," said expert Lange.
The German publication adds that one of the directions of the offensive could become a bridgehead in the Kherson region.
"Having the necessary fighter jets, attack helicopters and drones, Ukraine could adequately support the advance of its troops, especially since there are almost no Russian fortifications in this region. This would be a counteroffensive, as Zaluzhnyi probably had in mind from the beginning," — journalists add.
According to the expert, the Kherson region can be the starting point for new offensive actions. The defense forces there now hold a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, continuing to expand it.
The publication notes that it is only 60 km from there to the "weak point of the Russians", Crimea.
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