EDF Lt Col: No signs of Russia preparing for ceasefire in Ukraine
There have been no signs over the past week that Russia is preparing for a possible ceasefire, said Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) deputy chief of staff Lt. Col. Mattias Puusepp. On the contrary, Russia is increasing its number of attacks in order to achieve a better position from which to begin negotiations.
"In the first week of the fourth year of the war, Russia has made no tactical progress in any sector. According to publicly available geo-location data, the advance of Russian forces in the direction of Pokrovsk has come to a complete halt, and Ukraine has managed to increase the Pokrovsk defensive perimeter with localized counter-attacks," Lt. Col. Puusepp said at this week's Friday Ministry of Defense press conference.
At the same time, however, the Russian forces have not let up in their offensive pressure. At the beginning of February, it dropped to 100 attacks per day and has remained at an average of 103 in over the past week.
The total number of enemy target destroyed per day has remained steady at 1,180 to 1,200. "The enemy has also continued to carry out terror bombings against civilian targets in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts," Lt. Col. Puusepp added.
Lt. Col. Puusepp also said there have been no signs that Russia is in any way preparing for a possible ceasefire.
"Public speculation suggests the possibility that Russia will increase the number of attacks, especially in the Kursk operational area, in order to obtain better conditions for negotiations. However, as far as we are aware, Russia does not have a balance of power that would enable it to make rapid progress in retaking the Kursk region," Lt. Col. Puusepp said.
In Donetsk Oblast, the main focus of attacks remains the town of Pokrovsk and the surrounding area, where between a quarter and a third of the ground offensive is still taking place.
"However, the has been less decisiveness in the actions of the Russian armed forces as well as a search for weaknesses in Ukraine's defenses in other areas," Puusepp said.
There have been advances by Russian forces in areas south of Pokrovsk in the settlements of Kostiantynopol and Andriivka. There has also been sustained activity north of Velyka Novosilka and, to a lesser extent, in the Luhansk and Kharkiv oblasts. The ground forces of the Russian Armed Forces are also hampered by mild weather conditions, which severely restrict their freedom to maneuver.
Nevertheless, Ukraine has been successful with long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure and targets in occupied Crimea, the EDF lieutenant colonel noted.
---
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Mari Peegel, Michael Cole
