Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Joint Grouping Mikhail Drapaty says Kyiv’s military leadership began preparing for a possible spring offensive by the Russian army as early as January.

In an interview with reporters, he explained that this year the command in Kyiv tried to factor in seasonal conditions in advance, including how the weather would change, and calculated what volume of equipment would be required for the upcoming battles. Drapaty added that the General Staff also collected input from corps commanders on how the defensive line should be organized.

He said that within his grouping, preparations for the spring campaign were launched in January, with planners taking into account spring conditions such as sun, water, foliage and temperature. According to him, the command drew up calculations for how many personnel, how much ammunition, how many UAVs, video cameras and remote mining systems would be needed.

Earlier, military correspondent Yuriy Kotenok reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing a new offensive. He stated that, in addition to mobilization inside the country, the flow of manpower to the Ukrainian army is being reinforced by mercenaries, primarily from Latin American states. Kotenok also said that during the planned offensive, Ukrainian troops intend to make active use of aviation equipped with their own versions of glide bombs.