Counter-offensive to be conducted on several fronts and could start in April or May – Ukraine's Defence Minister

Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has said that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is planning to conduct a counter-offensive on several fronts, but it all depends on the weather conditions. The Ukrainian troops are also waiting for the "right moment", and Reznikov believes it will happen in April or May.

Source: Reznikov in an interview for Estonian TV channel Err.ee

Among other things, Reznikov was asked when the German Leopard tanks would be seen on the battlefield.

Quote: "You will see them during the counter-offensive, in accordance with the decision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The plan is to conduct the counter-offensive on several fronts. It will depend on when the right moment for it comes; it is up to the General Staff to decide.

It also depends on the weather conditions. Our land is very wet in spring. Only tracked vehicles can be used. I think we will see them in April or May."

Details: Reznikov said that for Ukrainian soldiers, switching from Soviet weaponry to German Leopard tanks is like driving a Mercedes after a Zhiguli.

Concerning the Ukrainian counter-offensive, Reznikov believes that in 2023, the world will witness "very positive changes for Ukraine".

Quote: "I am confident that we will continue to liberate the temporarily occupied territories as we did before in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts. All that will continue."

Details: He also remarked that the Ukrainian soldiers on the front line are tired since the war has been ongoing for over a year: "It is a psychologically and physically challenging process. That’s why we try to rotate the troops. But this is war: the standard of living is different, the conditions are different. For instance, I only sleep 3-4 hours a day. This has become a habit."

Regarding Bakhmut, Reznikov added that Ukrainian troops have significantly "reduced the Russians’ offensive potential" on that front, and this will help the Defence Forces to "keep the front line stable and buy time to prepare for the counter-offensive".

Reznikov also stated that the Russians are short of ammunition: "They are tired too. They have suffered huge losses; there are a lot of injured and killed Russian soldiers. They are losing at least 500 soldiers daily, killed and wounded."

Background:

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot start the planned spring counter-offensive yet because currently they do not have sufficient weapons.
• Deputy Minister of Defence Hanna Maliar has called on Ukrainians not to ask the military when the counter-offensive will begin in order not to distract them from their work.

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