Russia may be planning major offensive in summer 2024 - FT

The agency quotes Ukrainian military officials as saying that the goal of the offensive could be the complete seizure of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. In addition, according to officials, another attempt to capture Kharkiv or Kyiv is not ruled out.

According to U.S. intelligence, which the FT investigated in December, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's ultimate goal in Ukraine remains unchanged. The Kremlin regime wants to take over Ukraine and subjugate the Ukrainian people.

According to the document, this explains why Russia continues to conduct offensive operations in eastern Ukraine on several fronts, especially in the area of Avdiivka, as well as near Lyman and Kupiansk.

At the same time, a Western official commented to the agency that the prospects for an operational breakthrough by both Russia and Ukraine in 2024 are slim.

Frontline situation

In the summer of 2023, the Ukrainian military launched a counteroffensive in the south and east of our country. The Armed Forces managed to liberate more than a dozen settlements in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. However, the main goal of advancing to the Sea of Azov was not achieved.

At present, the Ukrainian military is mostly on the defensive and attacking whenever possible.

Earlier, the German publication Welt stated that the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, is planning a new counteroffensive. According to experts and journalists, resources are probably being gathered for new operations in 2024.

At the same time, the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, believes that the active use of drones remains an obstacle to offensive operations at the front for both sides. Minefields are also an important factor.