(TheRedWire.com) – In late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine. For several months, his military attempted to seize the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Ultimately, it failed, and troops withdrew to reinforce areas of Eastern Ukraine that Russia had taken. With Christmas days away, Ukrainian Armed Forces commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Moscow was preparing another attempt to capture Kyiv.
On Thursday, December 15, Zaluzhnyi said his country was preparing for a new assault on the capital anytime from the end of January to March. He stated the Russians could come through Belarus from the north or possibly from the south. The general said they were mobilizing 200,000 soldiers. Regardless, Zaluzhnyi added it was realistic that Ukraine could take back all the territory it lost to Russia. He noted the military reserve boasted 1.5 million troops and was preparing a “big operation” of its own.
UKRAINE LATEST: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, warned in a Thursday interview with The Economist that Russia is gearing up for "another go" at Kyiv. https://t.co/EyuP1kYU3x
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 16, 2022
One day earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there wouldn’t be a Christmas ceasefire. He emphasized that Russian occupiers wanted to destroy the country and added there was no “calm on the frontline.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed a ceasefire wasn’t offered and wasn’t “on the agenda.”
Zaluzhnyi added that Ukraine needed more equipment from the US and NATO, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers, and improved air defense missiles.
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