Russia preparing new spring-summer offensive in southeastern Ukraine – intelligence
Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) Vadym Skibitskyi said this in an interview with the Financial Times, Ukrinform reports.
According to him, Russian forces are intensifying ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. Moscow produces about 60 Iskander missiles per month and has expanded the number of launch systems, while Ukraine lacks sufficient modern air defense systems, such as U.S.-made Patriot systems, to protect the entire country, Skibitskyi said.
He warned that critical infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, sustained significant damage from Russian airstrikes over the winter and remains highly vulnerable as Moscow continues to refine its strike tactics.
Skibitskyi said the increasingly intense missile and drone attacks are part of broader efforts to destroy critical infrastructure and prepare the battlefield ahead of a new spring-summer offensive campaign.
He said Russia was preparing a new ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine, deploying its strategic reserves to reinforce its forces in the country with 20,000 additional troops. With around 680,000 soldiers currently deployed, Russia is seeking to capture the entire Donbas by September, Skibitskyi said, citing Ukraine's military intelligence assessment provided to the FT.
According to Skibitskyi, this demonstrates that Moscow is not taking negotiations seriously and is instead planning to continue the war.
As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that to fully occupy the Donbas, Vladimir Putin would have to sacrifice between 300,000 and one million lives, and stressed that Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from the region.
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