Russia is preparing to launch a new offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The Moscow Times reported on March 21 of a potential Russian offensive and that the Kremlin’s’s forces had made minor incursions into the Sumy oblast with a view to controlling supply routes.
"I can confirm that Putin is trying to get time and is preparing for a spring offensive," the Ukrainian president said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Wednesday. “We see preparations for this upcoming operation.”
Zelenskyy said Vladimir Putin had originally planned the advance eight months ago but had been forced to postpone it due to a surprise incursion by Kyiv’s forces into southeastern Russia.
During a surprise visit in early March to the Kursk region, where Russian forces are seeking to expel the occupying Ukrainian troops, Vladimir Putin suggested setting up a “buffer zone” in the Sumy region to prevent future incursions into Kursk.
The Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts on the Russian border have been key to Ukraine’s defenses since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion three years ago.
In mid-March, Zelenskyy warned of Russian troops amassing at the border and posted on the Telegram app: “We understand this and will take countermeasures.”
"I can confirm that Putin is trying to get time and is preparing for a spring offensive," the Ukrainian president said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Wednesday. “We see preparations for this upcoming operation.”
Zelenskyy said Vladimir Putin had originally planned the advance eight months ago but had been forced to postpone it due to a surprise incursion by Kyiv’s forces into southeastern Russia.
During a surprise visit in early March to the Kursk region, where Russian forces are seeking to expel the occupying Ukrainian troops, Vladimir Putin suggested setting up a “buffer zone” in the Sumy region to prevent future incursions into Kursk.
The Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts on the Russian border have been key to Ukraine’s defenses since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion three years ago.
In mid-March, Zelenskyy warned of Russian troops amassing at the border and posted on the Telegram app: “We understand this and will take countermeasures.”
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