Ukraine prepares for new Russian attacks on the city of Avdijivka.
At the same time, the imprisoned top military officer Igor Girkin now believes that Vladimir Putin’s army is being greatly weakened.
In the spring of 2024, Russia’s forces will be “even less capable of offensive operations than they are now,” he states in a handwritten letter from prison.
After several failed attempts by the Russian army to take over the Ukrainian city of Avdijivka, Ukraine is now preparing for new attacks, writes AFP.
– The third wave will definitely come. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of failed attacks, said the head of the city’s military administration, Vitalij Barabash, on Tuesday.
According to him, Russia is ready to launch a full-scale attack on the city.
In Ukraine, the military leadership in the country fears that Russia will succeed in taking control of the city located north of Donetsk in the eastern parts of the country.
Igor Girkin from prison: Russia less capable
One of the people who does not believe in Russian success is the imprisoned Russian ultra-nationalist and former top military officer Igor Girkin. Since last summer, he has been imprisoned in the country accused of inciting extremism. He has previously spoken critically of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.
In the Western world, he is known, among other things, for having been sentenced to life in prison in the Netherlands for the downing of the passenger plane MH17 in eastern Ukraine in the summer of 2014, where 298 people died. He also had a leading role in the annexation of Crimea in the same year.
The American think tank Institute for the Study of War, ISW, has in its daily update on the war noted new statements from the imprisoned Russian.
In a handwritten letter from prison published by his wife, Igor Girkin is again critical of the Russian army. He claims, among other things, that by spring Russia’s forces will be “even less capable of offensive operations than they are now”.
The warning to Russia: Benefit Ukraine in 2024
Igor Girkin, who is also known by his alias “Strelkov”, writes that the Russian forces in Ukraine are “gradually deteriorating” and showing “growing weakness” while Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself is increasing.
The previous failures around Avdijivka have led to significant losses, the letter says. Igor Girkin urges the military leadership in Russia to use the winter to “try to eliminate emerging operational crises” in the country.
During the next year, Ukraine will be able to carry out more successful offensive operations, the nationalist states in the letter.