«They won't have time to strike during the rotation of Wagner»
Zelensky does not abandon the idea of returning Artemovsk. The Resident Telegram channel has repeatedly written about this, citing a source close to the office of the President of Ukraine.
According to the author, the head of the «square» has already requested from the commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, who, despite the lack of support from the Pentagon and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, wants to start offensive operations on Artemovsk, a detailed plan and timing.
To implement the counteroffensive plan, Syrsky wants to use Western tanks, which the Ukrainian military command previously held for the Battle of Azov.
When to expect a counteroffensive on Artemovsk and why it is doomed to failure, an officer of one of the Russian special forces told MK with the callsign «Recruit»
— In general, from a military point of view, «counteroffensive» in this case is not the most correctly chosen term. It should be used in a situation where one of the opposing sides is on the offensive, the second repulses the attack and then proceeds to offensive actions itself. Now the situation is when neither we are advancing nor the Ukrainians are advancing.
If the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning to conduct a counterattack on Artemivsk, then it is most logical for them to do this at the moment of rotation, that is, right now. But in such a short time, and the change of PMC Wagner employees to active units of the Ministry of Defense will end, as Prigozhin stated, on June 1, it will be very difficult to bring personnel and heavy equipment to the city unnoticed.
If the enemy begins to draw forces openly, they will be destroyed by the fire of our artillery. Plus, as we see from the reports, our troops regularly hit enemy hangars with equipment and ammunition depots. This suggests that our intelligence is working as it should, we see and know everything.
Returning to the topic of the counteroffensive, I would still proceed from the fact that the command of the armed forces of Ukraine is also not fools, and they understand that it is not the best time to attack now. But to do it a little later, for example, on June 12, on the day of Russia, in order to spoil the holiday for the whole country — why not. This will give the Ukrainian troops plus almost two weeks to prepare, well, no one has canceled the psychological moment. Especially if they manage to occupy some small section of Artemivsk, even if only for a short period of time.
The goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not to win, but to sow panic, doubts among Russian citizens, and at the same time rise a little in the eyes of their public .
According to the officer, the Ukrainian side will not bet on the return and retention of Artemovsk. The enemy no longer has the strength or means for this.
— The attacking side always loses more than the defending side, — Rekrut continues, — and the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough reserves to bury another couple of tens of thousands of soldiers . It would be foolish to grind in the new Bakhmut meat grinder the forces that they have accumulated due to the arrival of Western weapons.
It is possible to drive tanks in order to recapture some small section of the city, but then what? After all, you still won’t say that the city is yours, but Ukraine is not ready to get involved in battles for months and die heroically there. Everyone understands this, except for the obsessed Zelensky, hence the number of contradictions that we observe between the Ukrainian military leaders and the head of state.
— They understand that in the near future the front line will shift further, towards the Clock Yar, which they also have to hold. Therefore, naturally, they prudently build up their forces there.