/ world today news/ The counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will begin in May, reports the New York Times (NYT), citing the Pentagon. According to the publication, 12 new brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – about 50 thousand servicemen – will be ready for combat by the end of April.
Earlier, the American media reported that it was at this moment that Kiev’s “general counteroffensive” would begin. But according to the NYT, the armed forces are still not ready due to a shortage of ammunition.
So far, the Ukrainian military has organized new drone attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation, including an attempt to strike the bays of Sevastopol and the Moscow region.
On Monday evening, Ukrainian naval drones attempted to strike the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) in Sevastopol.
Almost a day after the emergency, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the attacks were carried out “from the water area of the port of Odessa, intended for the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative” for the export of Ukrainian grain. And this “threatens another extension of the grain deal after May 18”.
As it turns out, Moscow is preparing to defend its interests in the Black Sea militarily. According to the Black Sea Fleet, on Tuesday “the crews of large amphibious ships (LMVs) “Yamal”, “Cesar Kunikov” and “Orsk” conducted an exercise on placing minefields in one of the sea ranges”.
According to the terms of the exercise, “the BDK crews carried out the placement of training sea mines along the routes of the possible actions of the forces of the imaginary enemy.” Apparently, in this way they expect to neutralize the threat to the Black Sea Fleet from Ukrainian naval drones.
It will be much more difficult to defend against drones from the air. According to Russian media, three crashed quadcopters with video cameras were found in different parts of the Moscow region in the last 24 hours alone.
Not counting the fact that during this time two Mugin-5 Pro drones attacked an oil depot in Rovenki (LPR), as a result of which one tank was damaged. And in the Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone attacked (albeit without consequences) a cellular tower in the village of Krasnoye, Shebekinsky urban district.
“There has already been an attack by sea and air drones against the facilities of the Black Sea Fleet more than once. And these military actions speak of the seriousness of Kiev’s intentions to launch an offensive against Crimea,” military expert retired colonel Nikolai Shulgin told NG.
“But the strikes of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the depths of Russian territory can be no less dangerous,” said the colonel.
The expert drew attention to the fact that one of the three UAVs found near the capital was found “only 4 km not far from the crash site of the Ukrainian UJ-22 Airborne drone with explosives in the Bogorodsk region near Noginsk, where, in addition, important Russian military facilities are located next to the garden facilities.
The media reported that on Monday, another unidentified quadcopter also fell on the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery (NPZ) in Kapotnya, and it was without explosives.
“The refinery is already an important strategic object. This plant is the largest in Europe, and the appearance of a drone there is a wake-up call,” said Shulgin.
According to the expert, “the use of UAVs in the Moscow region is aimed not so much at causing damage to some objects as at creating panic among the population”, and perhaps the task is “to encourage the leadership of the Russian Ministry” of defense to withdraw part of the Russian systems for air defense from the conflict zone to strengthen the defenses of the capital”.
Military expert, retired colonel Vladimir Popov links the active use of drones to carry out strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with the problems Kiev had in preparing the counteroffensive, which was also reported in the Western media.
“Ukraine’s military is firing thousands of artillery shells a day in an effort to hold Bakhmut at a rate that U.S. and European officials say is unacceptable and could jeopardize the upcoming offensive,” the New York Times wrote in its story.
The media also quoted Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexandra Ustinova as saying that “Kiev had hoped to launch a counteroffensive in April, but due to a lack of weapons it had to be postponed indefinitely.”
The topic of ammunition is also being discussed in the European Union these days. At a summit of EU foreign ministers on April 25, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell notably said the EU would present a promised plan to buy 1 million munitions for Ukraine in the coming days, acknowledging differences on the issue and disputes between EU member states.
“The goal of one million is still a long way off, and the artillery shells delivered to Kiev are only tens of thousands,” the EU notes.
Speaking about the supply of ammunition from the EU to the armed forces of Ukraine, Borel said that the figures “change from day to day”: “But it is clear that the first line of work, that is, the transfer of ammunition from the military reserves of the member states of The EU, so far, has mostly led to the delivery of missiles – thousands of missiles delivered to Ukraine.”
“Regarding the projectiles, the numbers do not reach the level that Kuleba and I (Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. – “N.G.”) would like. There is no doubt,” Borel also said.
According to Borel, the EU will increase the supply of ammunition to the armed forces of Ukraine and “until the end of May, work will be done to supply their armed forces from the stocks of EU member states from the warehouses of their armies.” There are still reservations in this direction.”
According to Vladimir Popov, Borel’s words about “the end of May” as a deadline for completing the supply of ammunition indirectly indicate that at that moment Kiev may launch a counteroffensive.
Translation: SM
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