NATO expects a new offensive by the Kremlin troops in the spring. Stoltenberg suspects that the Russians will use the winter to regroup. The alliance has no information about the suspected Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory.
NATO expects a new Russian offensive in Ukraine in the spring. “Russia is trying to freeze this war, at least for a short time (…) in order to then start a major offensive in the spring,” said Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at an event organized by the “Financial Times” in Brussels. According to NATO information, the Kremlin wants to use the winter to regroup its troops and repair weapons.
The NATO Secretary General said member countries would continue their “unprecedented” support for Ukraine. The systems or weapons that have already been delivered must also be “actually ready for use,” he emphasized. “This means that a large amount of new ammunition and maintenance work is required.”
Stoltenberg said the military alliance had no further information about the alleged Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the matter with his country’s Security Council. Ukraine denies the attacks. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected speculation that Washington was involved. The US neither “encouraged” nor “enabled” Kyiv to attack Russia, he said.
The alleged Ukrainian drone strikes on military bases in Russia seem small compared to the rockets Moscow fires at Ukraine every day. But they sent a signal that the Russian army is also vulnerable at home. On Monday and Tuesday, according to Russian sources, the unmanned aircraft hit three airfields – Dyagilevo and Engels inland and one in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. Three soldiers were killed and two planes damaged. According to Ukraine, Russia uses the Engels base for attacks on the neighboring country.
Although Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attacks, experts believe that Ukraine used Soviet-era reconnaissance drones to carry out the attacks. They may have been Tupolev Tu-141 jet models, large unmanned aerial vehicles that can fly high. They “were probably heavily modified to function as a kamikaze drone,” says Vikram Mittal, a professor at the US Military Academy West Point.
