Ukraine faces challenges ahead, but no apocalyptic "Armageddon" in sight – intelligence head

Photo: Reuters

Ulyana Guz

Ukraine will face a challenging situation from mid-May to early June, but it will not be catastrophic.

The head of Ukraine's intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, stated this in an interview with the BBC.

"In our opinion, we will face a rather difficult situation shortly. But it is not catastrophic; this must also be understood. Armageddon will not happen, despite what some people are claiming. Nevertheless, there will be difficulties starting in mid-May," the intelligence chief said.

Answering the interviewer's question, Budanov explained that it is about "everything," not just about the front or the domestic political situation.

According to Budanov, the enemy will resort to a comprehensive approach against Ukraine, but he did not reveal the details of this issue.

"This is a complex approach because the Russians will use a complex approach. They are conducting a complex operation. We will not talk about it with you long, but it will be a difficult period. Mid-May, the beginning of June," Budanov explained.

For reference:

As the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said earlier, the hottest areas of the front today are:

• Chasiv Yar;
• Pokrovsk, Kurakhiv area in the Donetsk region;
• Kupiansk front in the Kharkiv region.

He noted that Ukraine has a chance to seize the initiative on the battlefield, but support from the United States of America (USA) in the form of weapons is needed.

In particular, the head of state said that terrorists plan to occupy Chasiv Yar until May 9. If the enemy can be repulsed, it will make it possible to break his plans for a full-scale counteroffensive in June.

It should be noted that in the Donetsk region, the Russian occupying forces did not stop trying to capture the city of Chasiv Yar, but they failed; they drop up to 30 guided aerial bombs per day.

As British intelligence stated, during the battles for Chasiv Yar, the Russian army used the same tactics against the Ukrainian defenders as it did in Avdiivka.

However, the Defense Forces of Ukraine are controlling the situation in Chasiv Yar of the Donetsk region, which is the target of the Russians, although the enemy's artillery and aviation are operating densely on the Bakhmut front.

As reported by the military command, 85 combat clashes occurred during the past day.

The Defense Forces eliminated more than 700 invaders. Thus, the total manpower losses of Russian troops since the beginning of the full-scale invasion amounted to more than 460,260 soldiers.