President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi held a meeting with the high command on Thursday, after which he hinted that the offensive troops of his army were preparing for battle, but did not provide specific information, CNN reports.

“Offensive brigades are working well, we are preparing, but we are not giving details,” Zelenskyy said.

In recent days, Ukraine has made significant gains on the front lines of the conflict, fueling speculation that its long-awaited counteroffensive may already be underway.

Ukraine said it repelled a full day of Russian attacks in and around the devastated city of Bakhmut on Thursday and made gains of up to a kilometer in some places, buying time for “certain planned actions”, Reuters reported.

The head of Wagner’s mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is leading the Russian attack on Bakhmut, said his forces had advanced 400 meters, according to an audio recording on his Telegram channel.

A senior US official told CNN that “formation operations” began last week, but Ukraine has yet to say its counterattack has officially begun.

After days of heavy Russian missile attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, Zelenskyi said his military would prioritize strengthening air defense systems and missile stockpiles, training troops and acquiring more long-range weapons.

Zelensky also honored Stalin’s deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944.

“We honor the memory of all the victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people,” said the Ukrainian leader in his evening speech.

“It was one of the most terrible crimes of the 20th century – an entire nation was forcibly deported from its homeland and forced to live in a foreign land for decades. And when people returned to their homes, Russia again brought its evil into their homes.”