Ukrainian commander Zaluzhnyi preparing major 2024 counteroffensive

Ukraine is gathering resources for a new counteroffensive next year, and one of the points of offensive operations could be the bridgehead on the left bank of Kherson Oblast, Nico Lange, Senior Research Fellow at the Munich Security Conference and former head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's office in Ukraine said on Dec. 15.

Having the necessary fighter jets, attack helicopters, and drones, Ukraine could adequately support the advance of its troops, as there are almost no Russian fortifications on the left bank of Kherson Oblast.

"This would be the counteroffensive that (Valerii) Zaluzhnyi probably had in mind from the beginning," Lange said.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was against launching a summer counteroffensive this year, as he saw no chance of success without sufficient air support.

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Zaluzhnyi agreed to it "only for political reasons," but with the change in the technique of warfare, the "great counteroffensive," which stipulated a breakthrough to Melitopol, Berdyansk, and the Sea of Azov, was finally canceled because without mechanized support, a quick breakthrough "was impossible."

The change of tactics was "a smart move by Zaluzhnyi" because by attacking with small units he spared his soldiers, provided them with Western weapons systems, and "won important time.”

At the beginning of the counteroffensive, Ukraine tried several times to break through the Russian defense lines with German Leopard tanks and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, but the attempts "ended in disaster and the destruction of some armored vehicles provided by the West." Zaluzhnyi decided to change his strategy a few days later and, instead of using mechanized units, ordered small strike forces to attack.

Read also: Zaluzhnyi extends congratulations to the Ukrainian military on Ukrainian Armed Forces Day

Lange believes that "Ukraine still has big plans," as evidenced by the list of weapons that Ukraine has requested from the United States, including Black Hawk and Apache attack helicopters, F-16 and F-18 fighters, long-range missile systems, Abrams tanks, numerous drones, and ammunition.

He also noted that Ukrainian troops continue to rely on attrition.

"They are no longer trying to hold their positions like in Bakhmut," Lange said.

“Instead, they want to slow down the Russian troops and let them bleed out.”

He added that it is "unknown how long Russia will be able to tolerate these heavy losses," but suggests that Moscow will probably "reach its limits at some point."

Read also: Russian UAVs strike Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk oblasts as debris hits buildings, no victims reported

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that the Ukrainian Defense Forces have passed two of the three Russian defense lines and asserted that Ukraine has a plan for 2024.

Zaluzhnyi said in a series of articles in the Economist in November that the war was entering a tiring positional phase for Ukraine. The President's Office then issued several statements indirectly refuting the top general’s statements.

Zelenskyy stated in an interview that the situation at the front is difficult now, but he does not believe that the war has reached a stalemate. At the same time, he suggested a possible change in Ukraine's military strategy, without elaborating.

In response to The Sun journalist's statement that the "counteroffensive is not going according to plan," Zelenskyy said that Ukraine "remains strong" and has made progress in the Black Sea and temporarily occupied Crimea.

In particular, Ukraine has launched a series of successful strikes on targets deep in the rear of the Russian-occupied territories, pushed back the Russians in the Black Sea, and gained a foothold on the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine