Director-General Budanov of the General Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine gave an exclusive interview to NHK for the first time in the Japan media. He said: "Many civilians are still under Russian occupation and we can't waste time anymore.
All I can say is that it will start soon," he said, acknowledging that a reversal offensive could begin soon. However, the reversal offensive suggested the possibility of fierce fighting lasting a long time, and stated that "considerable stockpiling is necessary to continue the operation"