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Several European capitals have acknowledged in recent weeks having supplied dozens of tanks to kyiv. Is the Ukrainian army preparing to launch an offensive? The Russians are preparing for it on the other side of the front, in the Donbass.
Concrete blocks called “Dragon’s Teeth” to build an anti-tank defense line. In the Donbass, the Russians are preparing for a Ukrainian counter-offensive. A crucial road leads from Donetsk to Mariupol, a city captured by the Russians in the spring of 2022. In Mariupol, the inhabitants confide their fear of a counter-offensive, synonymous with a return to the fighting. “The most important thing is peace“, says a Ukrainian retiree. “After what we survived, if they come back, it’ll be carnage“, she fears.
The Russians seek to adapt their system
In the meantime, everything is done to accelerate the Russification of Mariupol. On March 19, 2023, Vladimir Putin came to visit buildings built to rehouse residents. For a retired couple who live in the building, this is a sign that Russia will not let the Ukrainians return. In Severodonetsk, the Russians are in full redeployment of their soldiers, seeking to adapt their device.
“For their part, the Ukrainians keep the greatest secrecy about this counter-offensive, because they know that its success will largely depend on the effect of surprise“, says Luc Lacroix, special envoy to Severodonetsk (zone controlled by the Russians).
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