Ukraine’s armed forces have begun “shaping operations” ahead of a long-awaited offensive, a senior Pentagon official told CNN (UNIAN report May 12). According to the Pentagon spokesman, the strikes against Russian weapons depots, command centers and accumulations of equipment, which have intensified recently, are battlefield preparations for the start of the offensive. This phase may last many days before the main part of the offensive begins.
The campaign of long-range strikes against Russian targets may also be aimed at misinforming the enemy. The publication’s interlocutor noted that there was almost no such “softening” of the Russian defense before the Kharkiv counteroffensive. “It was a lightning ground offensive. Most of the preparation came in Kherson through long-range attacks on bridges, ammunition depots and command centers. Most of them were carried out by HIMARS”, the source stated.
Meanwhile, according to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine needs more time to prepare for a counterattack. In particular, additional quantities of weapons needed for the offensive operations are expected to be delivered.
The Russian military and the media have repeatedly seen every tactical operation of the AFU on the front as an expected offensive. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC, said that the counteroffensive of the AFU is allegedly already in full swing.
