Andryi Zagorodnyuk was Minister of Defense of Ukraine from August 2019 to March 2020. How does he assess the chances of success for the Ukrainian offensive? And what role will the weapons supplied by Germany play in this?
Mr. Zagorodnjuk, the Ukrainian armed forces are preparing a counter-offensive in the east and south of the country, which has been talked about for weeks. When will it start? Or has it already begun – but differently than we think?
I expect the offensive to begin within a month. The soldiers are ready, and in most cases their training on new weapon systems has been completed. Some of the military equipment and ammunition are still on the way. The preparations and operational planning are nearing completion. The army leadership is in the process of identifying locations where it will attack.