The authorities in Kiev remain very vague about their actions, perpetuating the fog of war.
After weeks of preparation, the Ukrainian army may have finally launched the bulk of its offensive in an attempt to break through the Russian defenses in hopes of success vital to continuing the war.
In keeping with their policy over the past few days, the authorities in Kyiv remain extremely vague about their actions, perpetuating the fog of war.
Russia said on Friday that it had repelled several Ukrainian attacks in southern Ukraine, particularly in the Zaporizhia region.
“Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have continued their attempts to carry out attacks in the Yuzhno-Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, stressing that these attacks were repelled thanks to “decisive actions (…) by units of Russian forces.”
Many observers, including the American analysis center Institute for the Study of War (ISW), believe that “the Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun”, although they do not expect “one major operation” but a series of different coordinated actions, as is the case now.
For weeks, Kiev has been carefully planning its offensive, taking innovative measures to shape the battlefield: drone strikes on Moscow, attacks on Russian soil, and forceful reconnaissance to test enemy defenses.
Ukraine plays for big bets. Less populated, cut off from part of its territory, its population under frequent fire from deep Russian strikes, drip-fed by Western military equipment … The authorities know that they will not have countless opportunities to push back the Russians and recapture the occupied territories.
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