Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief refuses to comment on alleged new counteroffensive: This isn't a show

Monday, 18 December 2023, 13:13

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, has stated that he could not comment on military plans, otherwise "it would be a show."

Source: RBC Ukraine, citing Zaluzhnyi’s comment to journalists 

Quote: "This is a war, I can't say that I plan what we should do. Otherwise, it will be a show, not a war, the price of which is human lives. You can't be specific about that in any case."

Updated: Furthermore, the media outlet asked Zaluzhnyi to comment on a BILD story citing German intelligence sources that Russia supposedly has a medium-term plan to seize Ukrainian territories.

Quote: "I would not like to comment on this issue; it is not my area of expertise. There are people responsible for this who have relevant information."

Background: 

  • On 16 December, the German newspaper Welt published an article saying that the counteroffensive planned by Ukraine for 2024 will obviously be the one planned by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for this summer.
  • Earlier, BILD reported that Russia has a medium-term war plan until the end of 2026. Particularly, the Russians are supposedly planning to take control of the cities of Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia by the end of 2026 and to hold the defence along the Dnipro River in the south.

Support UP or become our patron