With the “zero hour” approaching, Russia is mobilizing its forces in eastern Ukraine

But the update added that it is still unlikely that Russia will be able to muster the necessary forces to significantly influence the outcome of the war within the next few weeks.

Russian reinforcements are pouring in

For his part, a Ukrainian governor said that Russia is sending reinforcements to eastern Ukraine before a new offensive that may start next week along a front that has been witnessing fierce battles for months.

Ukraine expects a major attack that Russia could launch for “symbolic” reasons, as the anniversary of the invasion approaches on February 24, which Moscow insists on calling a “special military operation.”

Ukraine itself plans to launch an offensive in the spring to recapture lost territory, but is waiting for the West to deliver promised long-range missiles and battle tanks.

“We are seeing more and more Russian reserves being deployed in our direction, and we are seeing the introduction of more equipment,” Luhansk region governor Sergei Gaidai told Ukrainian television.

He added: “They are bringing in ammunition that is used differently than before – there is no more round-the-clock bombing. They are starting to save (their effort). The preparation for the attack is large-scale. It will probably take 10 days to mobilize the reserves. After February 15th we expect (this attack) At any time”.

focal point

The war has reached a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making gains as it did in the second half of 2022 and Russia paying hundreds of thousands of reservists it has mobilized.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that changing the military on the border and front line will enhance Ukraine’s military efforts amid uncertainty about the future of his defense minister, at a time when Russia is advancing in the east for the first time in 6 months.

In his speech on Monday night, Zelensky said he wanted to combine military and administrative experience in local and central governments, but did not directly address the confusion over the dismissal of his defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov.

On Sunday, David Arakhamia, head of Zelensky’s party parliamentary faction, said Reznikov would be transferred to another cabinet position, before writing on Monday that “there will be no changes in the defense sector this week.”

Politically, the European Union said that Zelensky had received an invitation to participate in a summit of its leaders in Brussels, while it would be his second known foreign trip since the start of the invasion, if he went ahead with it.