Another major Russian offensive is looming in Ukraine. A local inspection in the Donetsk region shows the preparations.
Ukraine was attacked by another wave of Russian missiles and drones on Friday night. Eleven people were killed and eleven others injured, the spokesman for the state emergency service said. Oleksandr Chorunschji, on TV. The attacks hit 11 Ukrainian regions.
military chief Valery Saluschny had said the cannonade included 55 rockets, of which 47 had been intercepted. According to a spokesman for the armed forces in southern Ukraine, drones had previously been used with which the Russians apparently tried to distract or surprise the defense. It was the first major wave of attacks since January 14.
“They have really bad snipers”
Sirens wailed across the country. In a Ukrainian position in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, 26-year-old Volodymyr and his comrades are holding the position. In one video (see above), the young men all appear fearless, with no trace of fear or panic:
“They shoot at us with machine guns. And then we shoot back with bazookas and then they are quiet.”
Until recently, Volodymyr lived in Germany. Now he is defending his homeland against the Russian attackers. And is convinced of his country’s victory. Volodymyr: “They aim large-caliber machine guns, anti-tank guns at us, but they have really bad snipers. It’s easier here. They also have grenade launchers, caliber 80 mm. We can deal with that. The positions are well built and fortified. We can use the hold the fort and we will do that,” said the young Ukrainian.
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Deadly attacks on capital Kyiv
The head of the Kiev city administration, Serhiy Popko, announced that 15 cruise missiles had been shot down. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed by rocket debris and two others were injured. Explosions were heard in the Dniprovskyi district. It was the first death from a rocket attack in Kyiv since New Year’s Eve.
The prosecutor’s office in Zaporizhia said three people were killed and seven injured in an attack on an energy plant in the region.
Experts expect a major Russian offensive in Luhansk
According to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW), Russia’s strategic deployment of various armed forces points to a major offensive in the Luhansk region in the near future. The presence of conventional forces along the front there, as well as the fact that only limited attacks are taking place on the fronts in other areas, indicate that the Russian armed forces are preparing for a “decisive effort” in Luhansk, the Washington-based think tank said in its latest report on Wednesday.
A number of intelligence statements support this assessment. The isolated attacks elsewhere served to distract and disperse the Ukrainian forces. The US institute described an attack along the axis between the towns of Swatowe and Kreminna as the most likely course of the Russian offensive.