War in Ukraine critical phase possible in coming months, top general says

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Pavliuk (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

A critical phase of the Russia-Ukraine war may come in the next two months. While Ukraine is waiting for United States aid, Russia is throwing all its combat-ready equipment onto the battlefield, says the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Pavliuk in an interview with The Economist.

According to the commander, Russia is currently throwing all the combat-ready equipment it has at the front to test the exhausted and under-supplied Ukrainian troops.

"Russia knows that if we receive enough weapons within a month or two, the situation could turn against them," Pavliuk said.

Situation at the front

Currently, the hottest fighting is taking place in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier, Russia aimed to capture Chasiv Yar by May 9 or the upcoming visit of Vladimir Putin to China. Repulsing the enemy's offensive will disrupt its plans for a counteroffensive in June. As Zelenskyy noted, Ukraine can stop Russia in the east if weapon supplies increase.

The commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pivnenko, warned that Russia was planning unpleasant surprises in unexpected directions.