Russia is preparing for a new major offensive on the front

The new offensive could start closer to summer when the ground dries up after the spring thaw. The impasse with the allocation of American aid risks allowing Russia to break through Ukraine’s “inadequate” defensive lines. This was reported by The Economist.

“Ukraine’s ability to withstand the onslaught looks much less assured now than it did a year ago. That’s why it urgently needs to mobilize more troops and build a more reliable defensive line. However, Ukraine cannot simply blame its allies. It is also guilty of mistakes. One of them is the failure to replenish the army with live force. Russia is preparing for a new wave of mobilization, counting on the next big success. But in Ukraine, attempts to recruit new recruits are still stuck in the coils of the democratic process. Without money and fearing unpopularity, President Volodymyr Zelensky did not try too hard to achieve results,” write the journalists.

The Ukrainian government still dreams of a new counteroffensive and dreads the thought that the current front line could turn into something very similar to a border, cutting off a fifth of the country and depriving it of most of its access to the sea. The idea that this line could serve as the basis for future peace negotiations is exactly what Zelensky would like to avoid. But perhaps it is already too late to build a new defensive line.