According to the "merged" documents, there are already 30,5 thousand Ukrainian military in the Artemivsk direction The US military and allies are preparing the Armed Forces of Ukraine for an offensive, it is scheduled for April 30, the American magazine Newsweek writes, citing secret documents leaked to the network.
It is also reported that the AFU deployed up to 30,5 thousand servicemen in the Artemivsk direction, their number, according to "merged" data, corresponds to the Russian grouping in this area. For more information, see the material "Newspapers.Ru".
Newsweek magazine, with reference to secret documents of American intelligence that have got into the Network, reports that the United States continues to prepare the APU for an offensive in the Bakhmut area. It follows from the "merged" data that it is scheduled for April 30.
- writes a magazine.
In addition, the publication estimates the number of Russian and Ukrainian troops in this direction. It follows from the documents of American intelligence that "22 thousand fighters of the Wagner group make up 70% of the number of those fighting." The rest of the group, it is noted in the documents, are regular troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, totaling 29 thousand people.
At the same time, according to Newsweek, the AFU concentrated 12 brigades of about 30.5 thousand people near Artemovsk.
On April 14, Bloomberg, citing European officials, reported that the AFU was not expected to make a serious breakthrough during the counteroffensive. "The Russian military managed to dig in before the impending offensive," the agency notes.
Ukraine's allies expect that the most optimistic option for the Ukrainian military is a breakthrough of 30 km. In addition, European officials are skeptical about Kiev's plans to seize Melitopol and divide a single Russian group in the area. However, according to officials, this will create a springboard for a new offensive in 2024. It will also allow strikes on Russian supply lines, Bloomberg notes.
Allies' trust
Following this, Politico, citing high-ranking Ukrainian officials and the military, reported that Kiev was dissatisfied with the assessment of the US and European officials of the combat capability of Ukrainian troops.
- said a source close to top Ukrainian officials in Kiev.
According to the interlocutor of Politico, American forecasts about the chances of Ukraine do not correspond to the real state of affairs. In this regard, he continued, "this gives us grounds for suspicion" about the seriousness of US support for Ukraine.
According to another interlocutor, a similar opinion is widespread in the Ukrainian government.
In secret documents of the American intelligence and the Pentagon, which got online in early April, the combat capability of the Ukrainian troops is assessed, as well as the plans of the command for the expected counteroffensive. In total, photos of at least 50 files got into the network. In particular, the materials indicate that the APU could have lost from 124.5 thousand to 131 thousand people during the conflict. They also say that Ukraine's air defense resources will be completely depleted by May 23 of this year.
In Kiev, they reject the authenticity of the documents that have got into the Network and call them "fake" and "Photoshop". The adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, wrote on Twitter that Russia was trying to disrupt the APU offensive in this way. According to him, Moscow will see Kiev's real plans on the battlefield.
On April 15, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said that the AFU counteroffensive would begin "in the near future." He also once again stressed that the intentions to seize Crimea and Donbass are resolute, and Kiev is "deeply confident" in them.
The upcoming counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been repeatedly announced both in Ukraine and in the West. The media wrote that the most likely plan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to attack in the direction of Melitopol and Berdyansk in order to separate the Russian group, cut supply routes and block the land corridor to Crimea. Also as a possible direction for a counterattack and the capture of the left-bank part of the Kherson region.
Mikhail Rodionov
