Four people were injured today in a Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Belgorod province. Therefore, Russia – which is now taking the threat very seriously – has decided to evacuate the children from the area. According to former army commander Mart de Kruif, this can be safely seen as preparation for the spring offensive.
According to De Kruif, this is due to the fact that all events in the border area are staged. “Whether it’s Belgorod, or the attacks on Krasnodar or on Bachmut’s flanks,” he explains. “Everything is aimed at keeping the Russians in uncertainty as much as possible and not giving them a safe area in the areas behind the front.”
“Everything aims to keep the Russians in uncertainty as much as possible”
De Kruif therefore believes he can say with certainty that Ukraine plays an important role in the attacks. While he can’t directly link all the attacks on Ukraine, he is certain they are “at least directed from Ukraine”. “What happens today was already prepared last week or last week. That’s how you should see it,” says De Kruif. ‘There is real direction behind it. We call it ‘shaping the battlefield’ – preparing the battlefield for the offensive, before the offensive is actually carried out. term.’
Strategic response
According to De Kruif, it is not the case that Russia suddenly reacts strongly. Especially since the Russians have been using exactly the same strategy for a long time. “They’ve done the same on Ukrainian territory for the past few months,” he says. “The Russians have mainly focused on military targets.”
De Kruif finds it all the more remarkable that the Russian military switched to attacking civilian targets a week ago. “It is almost inevitable that it was not a decision of the military leadership, but of Putin himself,” De Kruif said. “To see if more pressure can be put on the civilian population, it really has to be a chefsache.”
Anti-Putin Russians
But that medal has two sides. Since Ukraine “has access” to anti-Putin Russians – partisans fighting on the Ukrainian side – Russia has to withdraw some of the reserves, because those partisans are operating on Russian territory. De Kruif: ‘They have a small role, but a big one. They are equipped, trained and probably directed by the Ukrainian military.”
And that’s exactly what Ukraine wants, thinks De Kruif. “It constantly causes dilemmas and creates uncertainty,” he continues. “It has everything to do with the offensive. So it’s already underway, but not yet at the stage where you actually fight each other.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
