Frost, tensions, and weapons delays

From our correspondent
Kyiv – it will not bennus Horbilis For Volodymyr Zelensky, it is definitely not the right time. On the front, exactly one year after the liberation of Kherson, the Ukrainian president and the army alone cannot claim new successes; The counterattack aimed at liberating Mariupol finally foundered.

The Ukrainian soldiers from various brigades, who requested to remain anonymous, explained that “the front has not moved an inch for months.” Almost no one expects the picture to change soon. “With the coming of winter and frost, we will hardly be able to advance, especially since the arms shipments are delayed and the number of men is becoming fewer and fewer, so even if they arrive we will not know to whom to give them.” Military commentary.

Another topic is that of losses. Although the numbers are high, especially for Moscow, Russia still has more than 400,000 soldiers in Ukraine 20,000 of them are deployed in the field every month, as intelligence officer Andrei Yusov explains. If Putin is avoiding announcing a new mobilization before the March elections, no one in Kiev doubts that he will do so after the vote.

Also of concern is the warning issued by military intelligence about the resumption of attacks on energy infrastructure. On Saturday morning, after 52 days of calm, Kiev woke up again to the sounds of sirens Ukrainian officials announced that the Iskander missile was shot down thanks to Patriot missiles. The army explained, “These are tests conducted by the Russian army to test our defenses.”

In this scenario, we set up Settlement of scores between President Zelensky and the military leaders, led by General Valery ZaloznyArmy commander and symbol of Kherson’s liberation. For several days there was controversy in Ukraine about the interview the soldier conducted with himEconomist Where there is open talk about “stagnation.” And not only. There is increasing talk of pressure from Western allies, concerned about developments in the Middle East, for a ceasefire. But if for Zelensky to view Zalozny’s words and the call for dialogue with Moscow as a dagger in the back, another cold salvo came from former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Saturday, with… Proposal for Ukraine to join NATO even without all the occupied territories.

Finally, tensions are rising between various intelligence departments and the Ukrainian establishment. Despite the support provided by the United States and Great Britain before 2022, which intensified during the Russian invasion, for the 007 Army (HOR) and the Foreign Services (ZRO), the Western Allies, in addition to sponsoring Fears that operations on Russian or foreign territory will exacerbate the conflict with Moscow, do not look favorably on the lack of democracy in the State Security Department, the internal services, which are considered very independent. This is despite the fact that last July Zelensky replaced Ivan Bakanov, loyal to him for the first time, with Kirilo Budanov, who is considered closer to the West.