Ukrainian forces will break through to Crimea in spring offensive – NATO official

The North Atlantic Alliance believes that the breakthrough of the corridor to the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula is the primary goal of the expected offensive by the Ukrainian military.

The newspaper Bild reports, citing its sources in the NATO leadership, that NATO analysts believe that the next six months of confrontation between Ukraine and russia are critical. However,  the source emphasized that as of May, Western weapons will be used to dislodge russian troops from the south and east of the country.

"Preparation, materials, logistics, and knowledge of secret services, partners are now doing everything to conduct a successful counter-offensive. We are preparing for a spring or summer offensive. The next six months will be a critical period," said the representative of the Alliance.

As a source in the NATO leadership stated, the russian invaders "correctly assume" that Ukraine could deliver significant blows in the Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions. Ukraine's Armed Forces will break through a land corridor to the occupied Crimea in the southeast.

The publication emphasizes that the NATO leadership refused to comment on the details of the future offensive of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

"moscow is currently not ready to increase the number of its aircrews or combat aircraft deployed in Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense is much stronger today than it was at the beginning of the war," he said.

While commenting on the offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea, the source stated that Ukraine has every right to de-occupy its territories.

Earlier, the spokesman of the Eastern Grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Cherevatyi, said that the russian aggressors faced a significant shortage of armored vehicles, particularly BMP-1 armored vehicles.

In addition, the head of the joint press center of the Defense Forces of the southern Tavria area, Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine predict the continuation of russian offensive actions in the Avdiivka and Maryinka areas shortly.