Ukraine prepares for spring, anticipating a Russian offensive potentially aimed at completing the takeover of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, a goal set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. CNN writes about this, referring to a comment by the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Vadym Skibitsky.

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He also awaits a possible regrouping of Russian troops..

“We see that the troops that were trained in Belarus are already here, in the Luhansk region. So they prepared, they created reserves, and these reserves include units of the Airborne Forces,” Skibitsky said..

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valeriy Zaluzhny said in December that Ukraine expects a Russian offensive any time between the end of January and March.. It remains an open question whether the recent reshuffling of Russian military command could delay such an offensive..

Skibitsky said that "

“Now all the resources, all the armed forces, the entire logistics system, the entire system for the production, supply and maintenance of weapons available to the troops are in his hands,” Skibitsky explained..

But Ukraine believes that the Russian military machine is still deficient on several fronts and expects further changes in its hierarchy..

“According to our estimates, these are not final changes.. Putin really has problems with command, both at the highest level, at the level of generals, and at the lowest level of platoon and company commanders,” Skibitsky said..

Skibitsky and other Ukrainian officials who spoke to CNN say it's also hard for the Russians to produce enough weapons, especially tanks, combat vehicles and artillery systems..

“We see few new weapons,” Skibitsky said..

U.S. and Ukrainian officials told CNN earlier this month that Russian artillery fire was down from its highest levels during the war, sometimes as much as 75%.. Russia may be "

Ukraine also believes that the Wagner mercenaries involved in the assault on Soledar may have already “reached their peak.”.

“Everything related to any success on the Donetsk and Lugansk axis will be attributed to the Russian armed forces and Gerasimov,” Skibitsky explained, adding that the group of oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenaries would probably play a smaller role due to internal power struggles in.

“The leadership of the Russian armed forces will try in every possible way to downplay the role and place of Prigozhin so that he cannot strengthen his position in the Kremlin hierarchy,” Skibitsky said..

After weeks of focus on the eastern town of Bakhmut and the presence of the Wagner group at the front, Ukrainian officials also expect the next phase of the war to unfold over a wider area..

" Other reserves have been transferred there, for example, airborne troops and other combat brigades of the Russian Federation, so we can no longer say that only Wagner is operating there,” Skibitsky explained..

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For Putin, the stake in the war against Ukraine is not only the future of the Russian state, its integrity, imperial greatness and international prestige, but also his own life and personal place in history.. Therefore, the exit from Ukraine is unacceptable for him, he only needs a victory.

Read about how the owner of the Kremlin seeks to take revenge in Ukraine in the article by Vladimir Kravchenko: “Putin has made a choice: what will be the war with Russia this year”.