(Reuters) – The head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday he expected Russia’s offensive on the eastern front line to fizzle out by early spring.
Moscow escalated its attacks in the northeastern section of the front line last autumn in an attempt to encircle strongholds like the town of Avdiivka. The Ukrainian military affirmed that it was in “active defence” while also carrying out counterattacks.
“(Russia’s) offensive is still ongoing. Somewhere in early spring, it will be exhausted completely,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR, said on national TV.
Budanov downplayed the gains of the Russian forces, stating that they had only achieved “a few advances across some fields” and near the embattled town of Avdiivka. He also added, “Now it’s the enemy’s move. It will end, and I think ours will start.”
Ukraine’s own counteroffensive, initiated in June 2023, has not resulted in any major breakthrough. Ukrainian officials have attributed this to extensive Russian minefields and defensive lines, as well as delays in the supply of weapons from the West.
Ukrainian military officials have recently reported increased Russian military activity along long stretches of the 1,000-km-long (600-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that his forces will achieve all their aims in what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine, which is now in its 24th month.
Putin contends that he sent troops into Ukraine to bolster Russia’s own security against what he portrays as a hostile and aggressive West. In contrast, Kyiv and its Western allies argue that this is baseless and that Moscow is involved in an unprovoked war of aggression and a land grab in imperial style.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Gareth Jones)
