Next 6-9 months will be turning point in war, says senior Ukrainian commander
Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, Commander of the Third Army Corps, one of Ukraine's most capable fighting forces, believes Ukraine has six to nine months to seize the initiative on the battlefield from Russia and strengthen its position ahead of peace negotiations.
Source: Biletskyi in an interview with Reuters
Quote: "I believe the next six to nine months are a turning point [in the war – ed.]. More precisely, I think the next six are the most critical."
Details: Biletskyi believes the Russian military is exhausted and is currently incapable of achieving major breakthroughs.
According to the commander, if Ukrainian forces can increase and sustain their operational tempo for several months, they will be able to seize the initiative along the front line and force Russia to abandon its plans to capture the part of Donetsk Oblast where fighting is ongoing.
Quote: "We need to define those directions where we can improve our positions, take some strategic points, and then speak with the Russians from a position of strength – not weakness – about a truly stable truce.
From a military point of view, this is realistic."
Details: Biletskyi also noted that his troops are firmly holding the flank around Sloviansk and forcing Russia to attack the city head-on.
He said such assaults have helped wear down Russian forces and have resulted in significant losses among field commanders, which he described as evidence of the professional degradation of the Russian armed forces.
"The lack of personnel no longer allows them to advance the way they did, for example, a year ago," the commander said.
Biletskyi added that it is still too early to draw conclusions from Kyiv's recent success, but Ukraine can build on it by continuing mid-range strikes and advancing "carefully".
Background:
- In early May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is willing to continue the format of trilateral Ukraine-US-Russia meetings on peace negotiations.
- Later, the president spoke of "productive" interactions with the US, which gave him hope that peace talks with Russia could resume, potentially with European participation.
- Meanwhile, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, has said that Moscow insists on addressing what it calls the "root causes" of the war before any peace agreement is concluded, including Ukraine's potential NATO accession.
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