NATO intelligence casts doubt on likelihood of imminent large-scale Russian offensive

NATO intelligence data has cast doubt on the ability of Russian forces to mount a large-scale offensive any time soon.

Source: European Pravda’s correspondent from Brussels, citing a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity

Details: In NATO’s judgement, Russia's offensive actions over the past few weeks have been largely tactical in nature. Russian forces continue to retain a "significant quantitative advantage" over Ukraine in terms of ammunition, personnel and equipment.

"However, at the moment, the Russians still lack the ammunition and manoeuvrable units required for a successful major offensive," the source added.

The source explained that the Russian forces fighting on the battlefield in Ukraine are "understaffed and inexperienced units" that are being ordered to "achieve unrealistic goals and follow politically-motivated instructions".

"So it’s doubtful that Russian forces could achieve significant success in an offensive this spring, and they are unlikely to be able to conduct any significant offensive without further large-scale mobilisation," the NATO official concluded.

Background:

• Commenting on the threat of a new Russian offensive, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Russia is constantly building up its military capabilities, and it is therefore imperative for the Allies to move to a long-term commitment in support of Ukraine.
• EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in February that Russia might launch another major offensive in Ukraine after Russia's presidential "elections" in March.
• However, NATO analysts indicated that they considered it unrealistic for the Russian army to go on the offensive in Ukraine.

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