Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked the Ministry of Defense to prepare a plan for a large-scale offensive against Ukraine, including a new attempt to capture Kyiv, iStories reports citing a military source, writes The Moscow Times.

According to the source of the independent publication, the mood among the military has reached the point of “panic” – even the officers use this word.

“Plans for a repeated attack on Kyiv are indeed being developed, but only because the country’s leadership demands it. No one believes in the implementation of these plans, it would be suicide,” the source said.

The first attempt to conquer the Ukrainian capital, made in the first weeks of the war, turned into a fiasco with numerous victims.

But the collapse of hopes for a victorious blitzkrieg turned out to be insufficient reason to change the thinking of President Vladimir Putin, for whom the conquest of Ukraine has become a fixed idea.

The Russian military believes that a strategic offensive is impossible

Despite pressure from Russian officials, the military understands that a strategic offensive against Ukraine is impossible, the iStories source notes.

According to the source, there are two main reasons: the lack of high-quality equipment and ammunition and the inability of the higher command to realistically assess the situation at the front.

Even the hundreds of thousands of mobilized soldiers gathered at the border are only a “reserve” needed by the army to “close a possible Ukrainian breach,” the cited source explains.

But despite the difficulties and losses, which according to American data have already reached 200 thousand, Putin calls for an offensive.

According to Bloomberg, this should begin in February-March, before Ukraine receives and uses Western tanks and armored vehicles.

Exposure of the “mole” in the headquarters of the Russians

Russia is preparing for a new offensive against Ukraine, as the generals plan to throw thousands of soldiers into the “mill” of war, a source at the headquarters of the Russian military group fighting in Ukraine told Novaya Gazeta Europa, Meduza notes.

Experts interviewed by the publication believe that Russian troops may try to move the front line away from Donbas and Crimea, regions illegally annexed by Russia, and attempt an offensive in the Zaporizhia region or in the direction of the Volyn region, in the northwest of the country, from the territory of Belarus.

American intelligence predicts that in the coming months, Putin will need a new wave of mobilization, which will cover 200 thousand people.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claims that the “first wave” was larger than official data and allowed the army to gather 500,000 troops near the borders.

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