According to Oleksandr Zavitnevich, an MP from the ruling Servant of the People faction, the probability of the Ukrainian military starting an offensive this year depends on many factors.
Points of attention
- The start of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces depends on the readiness of military combat brigades and the availability of the necessary weapons.
- Delays in delivering aid packages to Ukraine are caused by checking the quality and availability of weapons.
- MP emphasises the need for speed and accuracy in delivering weapons to plan military operations.
- Zavitnevych does not rule out the possibility of the enemy opening a new front and urges us to be constantly prepared for negative scenarios.
- The situation at the front remains difficult, with constant exacerbations in certain directions, which requires the military to be on high alert.
What depends on the beginning of the AFU's offensive already this year
This is a very difficult question. Are we capable of this? It depends on many factors. This is both the law on mobilization and the equipment of our combat brigades. Many brigades are understaffed, I won't say percentages, they are different there, but there is a problem, explains Zavitnevych, who heads the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence.
According to him, there is also the problem of having enough weapons to launch a counteroffensive.
The package we expected from our main US partner was significantly delayed. In addition, it is important when the package is announced and when it actually arrives in Ukraine, Zavitnevych emphasised.
He noted that within the framework of the last visit of Ukrainian people's deputies to the USA, there was an appeal to the organisers of the announcement and sending of military packages to Ukraine with a request to speed up weapons delivery.
For some types of weapons, it was more than a month, for some types it is two or three months. This has a strong influence when we plan some military operations... We, of course, constantly raised this issue during our business trips. This time we were just emphasizing that let's make even more efforts. They insisted that if a package is announced, it must be completed within a specific time frame that we can plan for ourselves, Zavitnevych emphasises.
Why partners often delay the delivery of aid to Ukraine
MP emphasised that the delay was due to the weapons' availability and quality.
Because the same ammunition, you know, they are all checked, all equipment is definitely checked. And when the weapon is conditionally not ready, it needs to be looked at again, something needs to be repaired. There is a small part of new equipment, but mostly it is equipment that was already in use, — explains the chief of the defence committee.
He gave the example of last year's announcement of an aid package including air defence equipment. However, after the inspection, it was found that the entire complex would not work without an inoperable machine.
But the package has already been announced. Of course, everyone was looking for where to repair, what to replace, but it all takes time. Therefore, we ask: let's pay attention to this before announcing — so that we understand when it will be with us. This is very much requested by our military for the possibility of planning defensive or offensive operations, says Zavitnevych.
Regarding his vision of the further development of events at the front, he said that he does not rule out the enemy opening a new front.
The situation is difficult every day, but in some directions, let's say, more or less normal. There, the defense line does not move, we do not surrender positions. At the same time, in some other places we see constant exacerbations. Can the enemy open a new front? Yes, maybe, we do not rule it out. And we must always be ready, — emphasised Zavitnevych.
