Russia is building a new army of 200,000 for a second assault on Kiev that could begin within weeks, Ukraine’s top general has warned.
Valery Zaluzhny, head of Ukraine’s armed forces, believes Vladimir Putin is mobilizing his newly mobilized men into armies somewhere deep in Russia, which he will use in new attacks on Ukraine.
When Putin first invaded Ukraine in February, he did so with a force of about 175,000 men. If General Zaluzhny is right, an even larger army is already on the way.
‘[Russia] Prepare new resources … 100 percent,” he told The Economist. ‘[We must] preparation for the [new] War that could start in February, March at best and late January at worst.
Russia is building a new army of 200,000 men and will use it to make a second attempt to capture Kiev (Putin’s original army pictured before he invaded in February).
Russia’s initial attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital failed when the army bogged down and was crushed by Ukrainian artillery (pictured).
“Maybe it doesn’t start in Donbass, but in the direction of Kiev, from Belarus I don’t exclude the southern direction [Crimea] Also. The Russians are preparing about 200,000 new troops. I have no doubt that they will try again in Kiev.”
General Zaluzhny urged Ukraine’s western allies to increase stockpiles of weapons to prevent these attacks from succeeding, saying he urgently needed hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces.
“I know I can beat this enemy,” he said. “But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles [infantry fighting vehicles]500 howitzers.
“Then I think it’s absolutely realistic [re-take all territory captured since the war began.] I get what I get, but it’s less than I need.”
He emphasized that while Russia’s newly mobilized army will be of the same size as the army that attacked in February, it will not be of the same quality.
Much of his best equipment and ammunition was used up, and most of his highly trained soldiers and commanders were killed.
But, General Zaluzhny said, there is no sign that Moscow is ready to abandon its mission to conquer its country and expects its Russian counterparts to keep fighting until their resources are exhausted.
Ukraine needs tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces to repel and push back Russia’s attacks, the commander said (in the photo, Ukrainian soldiers carry a corpse).
A Russian soldier takes part in training as Ukraine’s top general warns that a new army is being prepared to attack in battle
When asked how many men Russia could commit to combat, he said the country had up to 1.5 million men in its reserves.
As for Ukraine, he insists that Kiev is working on its own “major operation”, adding cryptically: “It’s coming, but you don’t see it yet.”
General Zaluzhny also called for better air defense for Ukraine amid reports that Joe Biden is preparing to move Patriot missile batteries to Kiev.
If the move goes through, Ukraine will join an elite group of countries deploying Patriot batteries – which are among the best air defenses in the world.
Kiev is desperate to protect its power grid from attacks by Russian missiles and drones, which have caused blackouts across the country and left people freezing in their homes.
Between a third and half of the country’s power grid is now down, and the rest is now extremely vulnerable to attack.
Putin’s generals switched to attacking the power grid after their ground attack stalled, then reversed in places.
First, the attack on Kiev from Belarus was thwarted and stopped before Putin’s armies were halted in the Donbass.
Ukraine then recaptured the area around the city of Kharkiv in the northeast and liberated the city of Kherson in the south.
Now the front is largely settled and no major shifts are expected in the coming weeks as both sides regroup and plan their next move.
Although few territories change hands, fighting remains fierce, especially around the eastern city of Bakhmut.
General Zaluzhny believes that 300 tanks, 600 armored vehicles and 500 artillery pieces will allow him to push Russia back to pre-invasion borders
Russian troops are attacked directly against Ukrainian trenches and machine gun nests, with heavy casualties on both sides.
General Zaluzhny believes the attacks are aimed at holding Ukrainian units in place and bleeding men out of them so they cannot regroup before what comes next.
Separately, Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov said today that Russia is embarking on a long war and still wants to conquer all of Ukraine.
At the same briefing, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar warned against complacency over recent setbacks by the Russian military.
“The Kremlin … is trying to turn the conflict into a protracted armed confrontation,” Gromov said.
Malyar added: “We and the world must not give up because the ultimate goal of the Russian Federation is to conquer all of Ukraine and then it can move on.”
Ukrainian officials have portrayed the Kremlin as desperate to reverse recent military setbacks – including a withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson after months of occupation – and to secure victories to justify the war to the Russian public.
The Kremlin has never fully defined the goals of the February 24 raid, which it says was designed in part to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
She said last week she remains determined to secure at least most of eastern and southern Ukraine, which she has declared as her own, but appears to have recaptured other areas in western and northeastern Ukraine , give up
Ukraine’s military staff said Moscow’s focus was currently on the eastern cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, but Russian troops shelled Kherson daily and were trying to gain a stronger foothold in the southeastern Zaporizhia region.
Vladimir Putin has endured a series of embarrassing defeats in Ukraine, but Kyiv says he sees no signs of letting up on efforts to take over the country.
“They understand that this winter will be a disaster for them if they don’t strike now,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office.
Russia, which has also attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, ruled out a Christmas shutdown. Gromov also dismissed the possibility of a ceasefire during the festive New Year period.
“There will not be a complete ceasefire until there are no more occupiers on our land,” he said.
Gromov said that since mid-October, Russia has been building up its military presence in Belarus, training new units and restoring the combat capabilities of old ones, and moving military aircraft to its ally’s territory.
“First of all, it indicates that the enemy is building the ability to carry out airstrikes on the territory of Ukraine,” he said, adding that the probability of a Russian attack from Belarus “remains low”.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
