Enemy not ready for offensive operations in new sectors – Ukrainian intelligence

Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, said this on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.

Yusov explained the enemy's activity in the Kharkiv and Sumy sectors by his intention to pull Ukrainian forces away from more important sectors.

"The enemy continues to carry out separate offensive operations almost along the entire front line. At the beginning of June, we observed attempted offensive actions in the Kharkiv region, which the Ukrainian security and defense forces repelled and broke the enemy's plans. Accordingly, this also affected the situation in the Sumy region. The primary objective of such enemy actions is to pull back Ukrainian forces and assets. And the key task is the Ukrainian Donbas, and it is there that the most key and dramatic events are taking place. The enemy group is sufficiently numerous, but it has not changed recently enough to talk about new powerful offensives in new sectors," Yusov said.

He said he was skeptical about the ability of the aggressor country to replenish its army with a sufficient number of contract soldiers for an imaginary offensive on new axes.

"Even if we talk about the number, they need to be trained, clothed, armed, carry out the necessary coordination and be provided with command, communications, etc. This is not done all at once. If we talk about this bravado of Russian propaganda that tens of thousands of contract soldiers are announced every month, it turns out that there is a big problem with this. The Russian authorities use new incentives and coercion to force new citizens of the Russian Federation and all those who find themselves in this 'prison of nations' to sign a contract. Fewer people are willing [to sign the contract], and it becomes difficult to carry out the infernal recruiting plan. And sooner or later, another issue regarding mobilization will arise, and this is the challenge of social tension and mood. In other words, the Kremlin has something to worry about," Yusov said.