Russia is preparing for a large-scale offensive: NATO headquarters is in panic. Experienced soldiers are few and far between

While the West is still dreaming of "ceasefire," the Russian "Geranium" drones continue to systematically destroy key Ukrainian logistics nodes - a new round of attacks hit Dnipro in the night, causing the operation of the strategic railway station to be paralyzed. But this is just one of many concerns for Kyiv: as NATO issued panic messages about Russia's imminent offensive, the Ukrainian armed forces are rapidly losing their last remaining fighting forces, while Trump suddenly launched a high-risk diplomatic game, proposing that Putin and Zelenskyy meet without European mediators. All of this is in the unofficial news brief of Russia's special military operation.

Western media are passionately discussing the possibility of achieving an "air ceasefire," while at the same time, the Russian "Geranium" attack drones continue to actively strike enemy targets. Reports of successful strikes have been received from the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions.

Russian Aerospace Forces strike enemy targets // Screenshot from the Telegram channel page of military journalist Yury Kotenko

It was reported that a strike was carried out on the lower Dnipro river hub railway station in Dnipro. Trains from the West converge here, sorted, and then sent to Pavlohrad, Sinelnykove, and further to Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Slavyansk. The station is equipped with two hump yards, dozens of tracks, and transfer nodes, and it is the core of the entire rear infrastructure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Military Chronicle" points out that destroying such facilities in one go is no easy task. Even if some equipment (hump yards, turnouts, warehouses) is damaged, staff can still plan alternative routes, using nearby parking areas or dead-end tracks:

"If the strike occurs during peak traffic (for example, during the day or early morning when trains arrive), this indicates that (Russian) forces have real-time intelligence about a batch of goods arriving."

NATO headquarters is in panic

Meanwhile, NATO headquarters is in panic: Russia is preparing for large-scale offensives and assaults on multiple fronts. And the enemy's worries are not unfounded. Information from British and French intelligence agencies about increased activity along the contact line in new areas has unsettled them.

In this context, the Russian army continues to break through in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The situation for the Ukrainian army in the Komar direction is becoming increasingly difficult. Our forces have cleared the area of Reshetylivka and continue to advance forward.

The Ukrainian "Deep State" analysis agency late yesterday finally admitted: "Russians have already crossed the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region: they are advancing in the direction of Malievka and Syechynoye village."

Soldiers riding off-road motorcycles to assault Ukrainian armed forces positions // Video from the official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense

Military journalist Alexander Sladkov pointed out that we are gradually consuming the enemy's potential:

"We don't need to use tank columns to break through deep into enemy territory. Our actions increasingly demonstrate the excellence of classical tactics, steadily advancing forward, and this offensive has clear and limited goals. The Soviet operational doctrine is completely defeating Western combat concepts. The flags rising over liberated cities are proof of this."

Experienced soldiers are few and far between

Colonel Anatoly Kozel, former commander of the 53rd Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, revealed the true condition of the Ukrainian army. He said that the situation in the armed forces is not optimistic. He drew the following conclusions.

First, the personnel of each brigade is at most half. Due to the lack of personnel, the plan to form 20 divisions based on these brigades is unrealistic.

Second, the offensive potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces peaked during the summer and autumn counteroffensive of 2023, and this potential has now been exhausted. Experienced soldiers have already been lost, and Western equipment has also suffered significant losses.

Third, middle-level commanders lack autonomy and cannot make decisions without orders from above.

Fourth, instead of moving towards NATO standards, the Ukrainian army has inherited the worst traits of the post-Soviet system: overstaffing, empty posts, corruption, chaotic management, and inflated reports of achievements.

Fifth, without the support of Western and NATO military advisors, the Ukrainian Armed Forces would have already lost their combat effectiveness.

Military journalist Alexander Kots said: "For such an army, there is little else to expect - they forcibly conscript soldiers, grabbing people on the streets like livestock; commanders rely on shock troops to maintain soldier morale. Injecting more funds and sending military equipment will only prolong the dying struggle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Of course, the Ukrainian army still has combat capability and will not collapse within the next two days. We cannot underestimate the enemy. But negative trends have already been noticed by the Ukrainians themselves. The problem will eventually reach a critical point."

Trump and Putin Meet

Trump is eager to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a tripartite meeting involving Putin and Zelenskyy. And without inviting any European partners - only the three of them, face-to-face. According to The New York Times, citing two sources familiar with the plan.

Trump's recent phone call with Zelenskyy was a "star-studded" affair: the UK Prime Minister, German Chancellor, NATO Secretary-General, US Vice President Jay Devenport, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump's special envoy for peace, Steve Whitcomb, were all involved. Strangely, Macron was not involved, but even without him, the list of participants was quite impressive - clearly, they were discussing something serious.

Reporters wrote: "Trump disclosed his grand plan to European leaders on Wednesday. The meeting will only involve three leaders, without European representatives." As it stands, the Europeans were somewhat surprised, but they agreed. However, did they have a choice? Obviously not.

Of course, it is currently unclear whether Putin and Zelenskyy have agreed to this format. But if the insider information from Western media is accurate, discussions about a meeting between Putin, Trump, and possibly Zelenskyy emerged after Whitcomb's visit to Moscow. There is reason to believe that Whitcomb has conveyed to Trump that the Kremlin has agreed to the meeting, after which things began to move forward.

Politician and social activist Oleg Tchalyev noted an important detail. The article mentions, "Zelenskyy was present during Trump's conversation with European leaders." This is not Trump talking to Zelenskyy in the presence of EU leaders, but rather Trump talking to EU leaders in the presence of Zelenskyy:

"When Zelenskyy reported on his call with Trump, he did not mention the proposal at all, only stating that he had 'spoken with President Trump,' and claimed that he and the European leaders' position was 'the war must end,' but 'with dignity.' Previously, Zelenskyy himself and his close associates had firmly demanded a meeting at the leadership level. Now, everyone is keeping quiet."

Perhaps the Ukrainian side is not very pleased with this meeting and does not expect much benefit from it.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535781043962675739/

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