Russia is planning a major new offensive, says Ukrainian Defence Minister

Russia is gathering thousands of soldiers in a new offensive. This also is an indication that Russia may try to celebrate the first invasion anniversary by a vigorous attack with mighty forces.

New Delhi, Feb 3: Drawing the attention of the Western countries and NATO allies, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has claimed that Russia is preparing a significant new offensive. The new attack could be as early as February 24 which also happens to be the first anniversary of the attack from the Russian forces last year.

Reznikov has been quoted saying that the Russian establishment has not achieved what it had desired a year ago when it launched military attacks. However, now it's gathering thousands of soldiers in a new offensive. This also is an indication that Russia may try to celebrate the first invasion anniversary by a vigorous attack with mighty forces.

Reznikov came up with these ideas while visiting France where tried hard to convince French leadership for more arms and ammunition. His trip has been quite successful as Ukraine has signed a deal for purchasing additional MG-200 air defence radars. These could play a vital role against Russian air strikes.

The minister admitted that MG-200 air defence radars would significantly increase the capacity of the armed forces to detect air targets. He is of the view that with the radar Ukrainian forces would be able to defend against Russian air strikes including ballistic missiles, and drones of various types.

5 lakh troops for the potential offensive

The Ukrainian Defence Minister suspects that there are more than 5,00,000 troops for the potential offensive gathered on the Russian side. He also suggested that the true figure of the Russian troops gathered for the attack could go up as well. He however, assured its Western allies that Ukraine would be able to counter-offensive.

The minister may have got some of these ideas from the reports appearing in the Russian media. One such report claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a quick victory from his forces. He has, in fact, ordered for a swift seizure of Donbas region before the end of spring; however, it has to be seen whether it would happen as per the plan.

All this while, Western weapon deliveries are in a race against Russia offensive. Although NATO members and European allies have pledged longer-range weapons, their delivery is still a major concern. Moreover, another concern is that even when the tanks and armoured vehicles are delivered, it takes time for Ukrainian forces to get hands-on experience on them.