Putin will not back down

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Ukraine is preparing for a spring counter-offensive. The troops of President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) must push the Russian army back as far as possible. This is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s position in the event of ceasefire negotiations or a conflict freeze.

According to experts, it seems unlikely that Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) can be brought to his knees with the spring offensive. A senior European official told the New York Times: “The likelihood of Putin retreating or reducing his casualties in response to a successful Ukrainian counter-offensive is ‘less than zero.’ Instead, Putin will likely choose to call up more soldiers. and send.”

“No magic moment when Russia collapses”

Celeste A. Wallander, 62, US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said there are no signs that Putin is ready for a compromise. “There is very little evidence and little reason to believe that Putin will abandon his strategic goal of political, if not military, domination of Ukraine,” she said in an interview. “He has been pursuing this goal not just for a year, but for almost ten years. So there is no sign of him giving up that goal.”

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace (52) makes a similar statement. “I am optimistic that Ukraine will gain strength between this and next year,” he said. But at the same time he puts things into perspective: “I also think we should be realistic. There will be no magical moment when Russia collapses.”

Twelve brigades soon operational

The Ukrainian spring offensive could begin as early as next month. To this end, NATO allies have provided Ukraine with extensive stockpiles of artillery and ammunition. At the same time, twelve Ukrainian combat brigades, each with about 4,000 soldiers, should be operational by the end of April. This is according to leaked documents from the Pentagon. The United States and NATO allies are training nine of these brigades.

Experts assume that the spring offensive will take place in the south of the country. Ukrainian officials say their goal is to break through entrenched Russian defenses and bring down the Russian military across the board.

Warning about wasting ammunition in Bakhmut

The Ukrainian army fires thousands of artillery shells every day in its efforts to hold the city of Bakhmut. This is an unsustainable pace for US and European officials, the report says, and could jeopardize the spring offensive. The Pentagon even warned those responsible in Kiev that Ukraine was wasting ammunition at a crucial moment.

Experts say that once the spring offensive comes to an end, the West is unlikely to be able to replenish the stockpiles it has built up for Ukraine’s imminent attack in the foreseeable future. It is said that the Western allies themselves do not have enough supplies. The gap can therefore only be closed next year by domestic production. (no)

Source: Blick