tanktrees
© Stanislav Krasilnikov/SputnikRussian servicemen fire a T-80 tank in a military operation in Ukraine
Russia is preparing a major offensive against Ukrainian forces, to be paired with a large-scale missile assault on the country's critical infrastructure, according to Lt. Gen. Andrey Gurulev, who sits on the Defense Committee in the Russian parliament.

In order to advance successfully, Moscow forces would need to have a five-to-one or at least three-to-one advantage in manpower over the Ukrainian defenders, Gurulev said during his appearance on Rossiya 1 channel on Wednesday.
"The breakthrough areas are identified in the governing documents. Our commanders know this thing well and understand how to apply it. Where exactly they will happen is another question. We definitely won't announce anything. No one should know what it's going to look like. When the time comes - we'll see everything."
At the same time, the Russian military is preparing
"a major strategic air operation with the aim of completely suppressing [the Ukrainian] air defense systems, gaining air superiority, isolating combat areas and destroying critical infrastructure on a mass scale with the complete collapse of the economy and vital functions of Ukraine."
According to Gurulev, the airstrikes on targets in Ukraine in recent months have been carried out mainly with the use of drones. However, the Russian defense industry "didn't stop, but only increased the production" of missiles.

In late November, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that Kiev's forces would switch from attacking to building fortifications, acknowledging that the much-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive, which began in early June and aimed to cut Russia's land bridge to Crimea, had ended without success.

According to Russian Defense Ministry estimates, Ukraine has lost over 125,000 troops and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in failed attempts to move forward over the past half a year.

Over the weekend, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Col. Gen. Aleksandr Syrsky, said on social media that the Russian military was "conducting offensive operations along the entire front." The situation for the Ukrainian defenders "remains difficult," he admitted.

Unnamed US officials told the New York Times on Monday that Washington and Kiev are trying to work out "a new strategy." The US now wants the Ukrainians to focus on holding onto the territory they still control, while building up forces and supplies throughout 2024, they said.

According to sources, Kiev would also have "to fight on a tighter budget" from now on as the Republicans continue to resist the Biden administration's attempts to push through a bill intended to provide Ukraine with an additional $60 billion in military aid.