The Defence Minister further said that Ukraine’s commanders would seek to “stabilise the front and prepare for a counter-offensive”…reports Asian Lite News
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said that he met French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Ukraine’s defence needs.
Describing the conversation as “frank and productive,” he tweeted on Wednesday that the urgent operational needs of the Ukrainian Army were on the agenda.
Reznikov, who arrived in France on Tuesday for a two-day visit, thanked Macron and the French people for their support for Ukraine.
In a separate tweet, the Minister said he signed a memorandum with French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and the Thales Group on the supply of MG-200 radars for Ukrainian air defenders.
The radars, Reznikov added, will help the Ukrainian military to spot enemy drones and missiles, including ballistic missiles.
Russia planning offensive on Feb 24
Reznikov said that Russia is planning a major new offensive against the war-torn nation on February 24 to mark the first anniversary of Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Kiev.
The Minister made the remarks on Wednesday during a trip to France where he struck a deal to purchase additional MG-200 air defence radars, which he said would “significantly increase the capacity of the armed forces to detect air targets, including winged and ballistic missiles, and drones of various types”, the BBC reported.
Speaking to the French BFM network, Reznikov claimed that Moscow had mobilised some 500,000 troops for the potential offensive but also suggested that the true figure recruited and deployed to Ukraine could be far higher.
“Officially they announced 300,000 but when we see the troops at the borders, according to our assessments it is much more,” the BBC quoted the Minister as saying to BFM.
The Defence Minister further said that Ukraine’s commanders would seek to “stabilise the front and prepare for a counter-offensive”.
“I have faith that the year 2023 can be the year of military victory,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s forces “cannot lose the initiative” they have achieved in recent months.
Reznikov’s comments come as Ukrainian intelligence alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to seize Ukraine’s Donbas region before the end of spring.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Wednesday that intense fighting was continuing in Donbas, where Russian forces and Wagner Group mercenaries have been trying to take the town of Bakhmut, the BBC reported.
She added that Moscow’s troops were also trying to seize Lyman — the former Russian logistics hub that Ukrainian troops retook in October 2022.
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