According to Hammelburg, the barrage of attacks in recent days is the result of statements by NATO head Jens Stoltenberg. He said last week that the vast majority of the weapons promised by the West have now been delivered to Ukraine. “He said 98 percent of the 1,550 armored cars and 230 tanks had been delivered, bringing the West close to the target.”
trenches
Whenever something happens that causes the Russians to react this way, Hammelburg sees it. Another sign is the settlement of the front, with an enormous amount of trenches where many soldiers have gathered. “These are better trained than last time.”
According to Hammelburg, there are excellent indications that the offensive will begin this month. It is difficult to say what form this offensive will take. “A tank installation in Crimea has been attacked by the Ukrainians, but the question is whether this is part of the new offensive,” Hammelburg wonders. ‘Does the offensive consist of this kind of biting action or should we think more of a classic offensive, like the storming of Normandy in WWII? I do not know.’
Crucial Crimea
For the moment, Hammelburg assumes the first hypothesis. ‘Crimea is very important in this and you can see how much effort the Russians are making to increase their defenses around Crimea. They too expect Crimea to be the main target of the Ukrainians.”
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