Winter months to be difficult, but Ukraine has “advantages” - StratCom

This is stated in the response of the Office of Strategic Communications of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief to the inquiry of Asharq News.

"Climatic conditions affect the pace of hostilities, they affect both sides, and the side that is more ready to act in these climatic conditions always wins. We can immediately say that the winter months will be extremely difficult from a military point of view," emphasized StratCom.

It was pointed out that low temperatures, limited duration of daylight, the need to create proper conditions for the deployment of troops, the increased load on health care services and units, typical for this time of year, etc., are added to the high dynamics of fire strikes.

"The combination of these factors really reduces the pace of offensive actions, but Ukraine has two significant advantages: the fact that we protect our native land from the invaders, that is, we fight on our territory with the full support of our population, and real and effective support from the international community," stated StratCom.

It is expected that the enemy will continue to launch missile strikes at Ukraine, in particular targeting civilian infrastructure. And although the success of the Russian occupying forces on the battlefield is unlikely, "they can pursue offensive action to fulfill the orders of their military and political leadership, which does not count on losses and, often, fails to recognize the realities."

It was also emphasized that, having unleashed aggression against Ukraine, Russia continues to deepen regional instability in Europe, which, in turn, has negative implications for the security architecture that has developed in the world after World War 2, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a number of regional conflicts in the Asia and the Middle East.

Commenting on the possibility of peace negotiations, StratCom noted that in response to all international initiatives to end conflict and return to the negotiating table, Ukraine clearly declares its readiness for talks. However, this only about the negotiations "that will actually end the war and provide security guarantees."

"This is a key condition officially offered to the international community, in particular to the aggressor power, by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the form of a 10-step program. We are ready for such negotiations. Regarding the attempt to take a pause in the war in order to accumulate resources, prepare mobilized reserves, and then resume aggression, we do not consider this a proposal to end the war and, accordingly, it is unacceptable for Ukraine," reads the response of the Office of Strategic Communications of the Commander-in-Chief Office.

It was emphasized that there is only one scenario for the further development of the war, which is a "complete liberation of the territory of Ukraine."

As Ukrinform wrote earlier, British intelligence previously reported that winter would change the conditions of conflict for both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Changes in daylight, temperature, and weather will create unique battlefield challenges.

At the same time, it was pointed out that the winter weather will affect the already low morale of the Russian military and create problems with weapon maintenance.