National Guard Commander believes Russia could turn to defenses within month

He said this in an interview with Ukrinform, answering a question of how he assesses the battlefield situation.

"It's difficult. But the enemy's offensive capabilities are not limitless, including due to the massive losses they’re suffering... I think up in a month and a half, they won’t be able to conduct active assaults in multiple directions at once and will turn to the defensive in any case. So during this time, we need to form our units and train personnel," believes the NGU commander.

It is necessary for the Army to seek the enemy’s weak points and avoid the strong ones, he believes.

"You need to adapt, change the management model, and set goals: if something doesn't work, try something else, asymmetrically. But you can't radically change everything, all things take time, especially if we talk about systemic changes," he said.

Answering questions about the assessments by Western analysts saying the situation of fortifications is finally improving in Ukraine, Pivnenko said that when forces go on the defensive, they need to dig in, doing it thoroughly.

"We emphasize this. We must understand that there are defense lines, there are fortifications that the soldiers and our engineering units set up on their own. If the position is properly equipped, the chances of survival are much higher. And we also need reserve positions. When we expelled the enemy from Kharkiv region (in 2022), the defense line held by our brigade was nearly 70km long.

Pivnenko expressed the opinion that Ukraine will withstand the enemy onslaught in any case.

"We need to develop. If we are constantly one step ahead and thinking about the future, then everything will be fine. The most important thing that needs to happen now is preparation, development of training centers, procurement of weapons, military equipment, production of military equipment, drones, armored vehicles in our country, air defense equipment, MANPADS, and ammunition," he said.

The commander noted that the National Guard was working on creating manpower reserves and training.

"Our task as the military is to have combat-ready units, brigades that are capable of effectively performing tasks at the front, capable of defending our state," Pivnenko said.

As reported earlier, on July 19, the spokesman for the NGU, Ruslan Muzychuk, said the enemy is maintaining the high intensity of combat operations, pulling up additional units.