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Russian reinforcements pour into east

KYIV: Russia was pouring reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week along a front where there have been relentless battles for months, a Ukrainian governor said.

Desperate for Western military aid to arrive, Ukraine anticipates a major offensive could be launched by Russia for “symbolic” reasons around the Feb 24 anniversary of the invasion, which Moscow persists in calling “a special military operation”.

Ukraine is itself planning a spring offensive to recapture lost territory, but awaiting delivery of promised longerrange Western missiles and battle tanks, with some analysts saying the country was months away from being ready.

“We are seeing more and more [Russian] reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in...,” said Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine’s governor of the mainly Russian-occupied Luhansk province.

“They bring ammunition that is used differently than before — it is not roundthe-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive,” Mr Haidai told Ukrainian television.

“It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After Feb 15 we can expect [this offensive] at any time.”

The war is reaching a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making gains as it did in the second half of 2022 and Russia pushing forward with hundreds of thousands of mobilised reserve troops.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said personnel changes on the border and frontline will bolster Ukraine’s military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of his defence minister, just as Russia advances in the east for the first time in six months.

In his Monday evening address, Mr Zelensky said he wanted to combine military and managerial experience in local and central government but did not directly address confusion about whether his defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, would be replaced.

Mr Zelensky said he needs to show that Ukraine was a safe steward of billions of dollars of Western military and other aid, and his government is engaged in the biggest political and administrative shake-up since Russia’s invasion nearly a year ago.

“In a number of regions, particularly those on the border or on the front line, we will appoint leaders with military experience. Those who can show themselves to be the most effective in defending against existing threats,” he said.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda on the weekend that intelligence suggested any new Russian offensive would likely come from the east or south.

WORLD

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2023-02-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://bangkokpost.pressreader.com/article/281685439001424

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