Ukraine has completed assembling forces for the counter-offensive campaign.

Ukraine đã hoàn tất tập hợp lực lượng cho chiến dịch phản công - 1 — Ukrainian soldiers train at an undisclosed location in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine on April 4 (Photo: Getty).

"They have completed preparations for the so-called counter-offensive operation, deploying a significant number of troops, armored vehicles and ammunition in Zaporizhia. They are ready and waiting for a signal. The counter-offensive can happen at any moment and we are also ready to confront it," Vladimir Rogov, an official of the separatist administration in the Zaporizhia region, southern Ukraine, said on April 5.

Earlier, on March 27, Mr. Rogov said that the Ukrainian army had gathered about 75,000 troops in Zaporizhia.

On the Ukrainian side, last week, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the country's army is actively preparing for a counterattack plan when the weather is more favorable.

Signs on the battlefield and recent statements by Ukrainian officials suggest that Kiev is ready to counterattack. However, the direction of the attack is unclear as Ukraine still maintains a large number of troops in the territories of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Kharkov.

Kiev may be using a diversionary tactic to make Russia spread its forces. Meanwhile, most military experts believe that Kiev's main counteroffensive target is Zaporizhia, aiming to cut Donbass off from the Crimean peninsula, and then targeting the Kherson region, also in the south.

Last October, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree annexing four Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhia, Kherson, Lugansk and Donbass. The move came after controversial referendums there. However, until now, Moscow has not been able to control all of these regions.

Western officials believe Ukraine is carrying out attacks on targets deep behind Russian lines, while also increasing ammunition stockpiles to prepare for a counterattack.

"Some of the raids deep into Russian lines (in southern Ukraine) are a sign of preparations for any future counterattack. One thing we have seen throughout this conflict is that Ukraine has become very adept at using HIMARS systems to attack specific Russian targets," the Western official commented.

They also added: "We do not see their operations being constrained by a lack of ammunition. They simply want to stock up on ammunition at this time because they are preparing for a counterattack, they need to ensure supplies to be able to sustain the counterattack campaign."

Western allies and partners have stepped up military aid to Ukraine in recent weeks. Last week, several European countries began delivering modern main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Kiev.

However, according to experts, Ukraine finds it difficult to conduct a large-scale counter-offensive campaign due to limited resources after suffering heavy losses on the Eastern front, especially Bakhmut.

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