Russians creating 100,000-strong grouping for offensive in early summer - Pavliuk

The russians are creating a 100,000-strong grouping of troops for a possible offensive in early summer, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine will do everything to thwart their plans.

This was said by the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pavliuk, on the air of the national telethon, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"They are creating grouping of more than 100,000. It will not necessarily be an offensive. Perhaps they will be replenishing their units that are losing their fighting capacity. But it is likely that by the beginning of summer they may have some forces to conduct appropriate offensive operations in one of the axes. These are so far the most severe predictions that such an attack will happen. I think we will do everything to inflict as much loss on the enemy as we are doing now, so that all their resources that they are forming will be involved by this time," he said.

The commander added that the AFU are preparing for possible different situations.

Now, according to Pavliuk, the offensive actions of the enemy continue, because russia cannot afford to lose its advantage on the battlefield.

"Only slowing down their actions will give us the opportunity to seize the initiative. They are doing everything possible to continue offensive actions," he noted.

In particular, according to him, the russians are continuing their offensive in the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Avdiyivka axes, but they no longer have such great successes as when capturing Avdiyivka, they have some small tactical successes in some axes, as well as the Ukrainian troops.

The commander noted that the AFU are now also carrying out some offensive actions, capturing some enemy positions and restoring their positions.

"There is a positional war going on so far, we can't gain an advantage so far. Unfortunately, the enemy has more resources, but everything has its time," he said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on March 21, in a telephone conversation with the Chief of the Joint Staff of the French Armed Forces, Thierry Burkhard, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Defense Forces of Ukraine managed to stabilize the situation in the east of the country.

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