VLADIMIR Putin is feared to be preparing for a new onslaught on Ukraine with up to 500,000 soldiers.<\/p>\n
Russia<\/a> is believed to be plotting an attack<\/a> across two new fronts – pushing into eastern and southern Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kyiv believe Mad Vlad’s attack<\/a> may happen around February 24 – the one year anniversary of the invasion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Putin <\/a>is desperate to achieve something after a bruising first year which has seen his forces thrown back<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ukraine however fear the next few weeks will be crucial for the conflict as they continue to call for weapons from the West<\/a>.<\/p>\n Defence minister Oleksii Reznikov believes Putin is gathering up to 500,00 soldiers for the new offensive<\/a>.<\/p>\n And it comes as Putin’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said Russia was ready to “gain the world’s attention”<\/a>.<\/p>\n He didn’t provide any further details.<\/p>\n It is understood there are around 326,000 Russian troops currently on operation in Ukraine.<\/p>\n And it’s been reported between 150,000 and 200,000 are in camps on training exercises, with Ukraine also warning Putin could call up another 500,000 conscripts.<\/p>\n Reznikov warned the Russians could carry out an offensive on two fronts, pushing into the south and into the east in the Donbas.<\/p>\n Kyiv is preparing for the assault – but have admitted things will be difficult and warned they “cannot lose the initiative”.<\/p>\n Vlad’s initial assault last February saw his forces storm towards Kyiv before they were sent back by the Ukrainians.<\/p>\n Ukraine then went on the counteroffensive, liberating huge swathes of the country from the disorganised Russians.<\/p>\n The conflict then slowed down over the winter<\/a>.<\/p>\n And in recent weeks it has been reported the Russians were beginning to make gains.<\/p>\n Putin will likely be seeking some sort of major triumph or new operation to mark the anniversary – with his future now tied to the success or failure of the war.<\/p>\n “We can\u2019t lose the initiative… We think that, given that [the Russians] live by symbols, they can try something around February 24,” said Reznikov.<\/p>\n He spoke of around “500,000” soldiers being mobilised by Putin.<\/p>\n The minister explained: “They officially declared about 300,000, but when we see their troops at the borders, according to our estimates, it is much more.<\/p>\n “[They] can carry out an offensive on two fronts: it can be Donbas, and it can be the south.”<\/p>\n These will be defining months in the war<\/p>\n Oleksiy Danilov<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n He added: “We tell our partners that we should be prepared as soon as possible.<\/p>\n “That is why we need weapons to deter the enemy, because initiative decides everything in war.”<\/p>\n It comes after Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg this week warned the Russians were getting ready for a major new attack.<\/p>\n He said Putin was preparing to mobilise more than 200,000 new troops.<\/p>\n Previous reports from Russian media have suggested the attack could involved up to 700,000 soldiers<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to Ukraine, more than 129,000 Russians are lying dead in the war’s muddy battlefields.<\/p>\n The war has seen Vlad’s forces thrown back and any hopes of a quick victory have sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea.<\/p>\n But despite staggering losses – the Russian army is understood to be more than one million men strong, with another two million reservists who could called up.<\/p>\n And Putin’s defence boss Sergei Shoigu has announced plans to swell the number of active personnel to one and a half million from 2023.<\/p>\n The Institute for the Study of War<\/a> offered an update saying it believes Putin will not stage a previously speculated assault on Western Ukraine from Belarus.<\/p>\n But they suggested Vlad may be preparing for smaller raids on northern Ukraine in a bid to spread their defenses thin ahead the new offensive.<\/p>\n The think tank previously claimed an “imminent” Russian<\/a> offensive on the war-torn nation is “the most likely course of action”.<\/p>\n “These will be defining months in the war,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine\u2019s National Security and Defense Council, told Sky News.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m conscious the main fights are yet to come and they will happen this year, within two to three months.”<\/p>\n \u201cRussia is preparing for maximum escalation. It is gathering everything possible, doing drills and training.<\/p>\n “When it comes to an offensive from different directions, as of now, I can say that we are not excluding any scenario in the next two to three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Ukrainian official Natalia Humeniuk also noted they are preparing for a new assault from the South.<\/p>\n “Not just on land, but on the sea and in air as well,” she said.<\/p>\n Kremlin forces have reportedly been expelling Ukrainian civilians from their homes in eastern regions as they gather their military might.<\/p>\n GUR representative Andrii Yusov told Ukrainian TV that the country was on the eve of a “very active phase of the war”.<\/p>\n He added: “Both February and March will be intensive.<\/p>\n “The skill and motivation of Ukrainian soldiers, plus their equipment and weapons, both domestic and [those sent as] help from international partners, are what will ultimately turn the tide of these offensive actions.”<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian soldier has urged Russian forces to abandon their posts before they are killed in Mad Vlad’s war of aggression.<\/p>\n Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol, head of Ukraine’s marines, said: “I will separately address the Russian military: before it’s too late, run, return to your Maruskas\u00a0[Russian women] or surrender, otherwise it’s the fate of a fertiliser on someone else’s land; a black bag or disability awaits you, this is your ‘happy’ future.<\/p>\n “Unlike you, we know what we are fighting for, we are united, we are one.<\/p>\n “We will do everything so that the blue-yellow flag flies again in all cities of Donbas and Crimea.”<\/p>\n Lieutenant General Sodol also predicted that thousands of Russian troops were set to invade in the coming months.<\/p>\n Moscow’s response was to accuse NATO of mobilising all its military infrastructure against Russia, even including satellites.<\/p>\n Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move created “very peculiar, hostile conditions” for Russia and that his government has taken notice.<\/p>\n However, the country’s troops seem to be floundering on the battlefield, as a leaked phone call between front-line forces revealed.<\/p>\n One soldier called the campaign a “meat grinder” and that basic supplies like water were heavily rationed.<\/p>\n Ukraine have detailed the “war chest” of new weaponry that they want the West to provide to repel the attack, but the US stopped short of sending F-16 fighter jets.<\/p>\n British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace<\/a> has told reporters that it would “not be the right approach” to send jets but said no “solid decision” had been made.<\/p>\n Likewise, Moscow mouthpiece Peskov warned that long-range rockets which are believed to be included in an upcoming support package for Ukraine from the US would “escalate” the conflict.<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n<\/div> via The US Sun<\/p>\n February 2, 2023 at 05:24PM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Putin preparing new assault with ‘500k men’ & Ukraine think they know EXACT date 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