Ukraine warns of risk of Russia launching new counterattack

Ukraine says Russia is massing tens of thousands of troops and is preparing to attack the Orekhov front in Zaporizhzhia province, where Kiev launched a failed counter-offensive last year.

"The enemy is capable of launching a new counterattack in the Orekhov direction in Zaporizhzhia province. The forces gathered here are equivalent in number to the units fighting on the Avdeevka front," Dmytro Lykhoviy, spokesman for the Tavria operational-strategic group in charge of the southern front of the Ukrainian army, said on February 15.

Ukrainian officials have not given specific figures, but officials in January said Russia had massed about 40,000 troops near Avdeevka to break through the city's defenses.

Russian artillery battery in action at the Zaporizhzhia front in late 2023. Photo: RIA Novosti

Lykhoviy said the situation in the Orekhov direction remained relatively calm, but Russian shelling showed no signs of stopping. "The enemy is mobilizing its reserves and preparing for a new offensive. We are detecting signs and are ready to respond," the Ukrainian official added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the information.

The city of Orekhov is the gathering place of Ukraine's main counter-offensive force in Zaporizhizhia province, about 15 km north of the strategic village of Rabotino, which Kiev recaptured in early September 2023.

Location of the city of Orekhov, the village of Rabotino and the Russian defense line in Zaporizhzhia province. Graphic: WSJ

The Ukrainian army has made no progress in the area for months, while Russian forces have begun counterattacking in the direction of Rabotino. The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Moscow has regained control of many of the strongholds Kiev had gained in the counterattack, after Ukrainian troops retreated to more defensible positions near the village of Rabotino.

Vu Anh (According to New Voices of Ukraine, Reuters )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/ukraine-canh-bao-nguy-co-nga-mo-mui-phan-cong-moi-4712006.html