President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Scandinavian and Finnish journalists, noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could launch a counteroffensive without F-16 fighters. He also said that the Ukrainian army is able to occupy the Crimea almost without a fight.

"We understand that we will not delay like that, so we will start (a counteroffensive. - RT) even before we have an F-16 or something else. To reassure Russia that we need a few months to train on airplanes, and only then we will begin - no, it will not be so. We will start and move forward, but at the same time, I believe that this (the supply of combat aircraft from NATO countries. - RT) is very necessary, "Zelensky said.

He confirmed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing for a counteroffensive, but refused to disclose any details. At the moment, the politician pointed out, the troops do not have enough armored vehicles, since the West has not yet delivered all the promised weapons.

In addition, Zelensky reiterated that the Ukrainian army is "de-occupying" Crimea. At the same time, the head of the Kyiv regime expressed confidence that local residents would help the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Russian troops would leave the peninsula without resistance.

"You can't even imagine: when we approach the administrative borders of Crimea, you will see how the Russians will run away ... They will flee from Crimea and will run away faster than from Donbass. They do not even imagine that as soon as we reach the first village in Crimea, you will see how people will take to the streets and drive this "power" out of Crimea. So it will be," says Zelensky.

"Reception of military propaganda"

In a commentary to RT, RISS expert Oleg Nemensky called Zelensky's statements regarding plans to seize Crimea "absurd and ridiculous." According to the political scientist, fantasizing about the easy capture of the peninsula, the Ukrainian leader expects to raise the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to set up military personnel to carry out "suicidal orders".

"I doubt that the Kiev regime will really direct the main blow towards the Crimea. So far, he can only try to sabotage and cause damage with the help of UAVs. The defense of the peninsula is constantly strengthening, no one will run from there, but Zelensky seeks to ensure that ordinary servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the prospect of an "easy walk" that has nothing to do with reality, "says Nemensky.

  • President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  • © www.president.gov.ua

According to him, Zelensky and other representatives of the Kyiv regime constantly throw in reasons for talking about the "inevitable liberation" of Crimea and the defeat of Russia, which supposedly does not imply heavy losses on the part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"This can be seen as an attempt to present Russia in the eyes of the army and society as a weak and cowardly adversary. This is a typical military propaganda technique. The purpose of such rhetoric is to convince the Armed Forces of Ukraine and citizens of the need for a counteroffensive and to stop fears that any major attack, whether it will be successful in the end or not, will result in a huge number of victims, "says Nemensky.

The head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Alexander Mikhailov, believes that Zelensky plans to form an idea among the West and the "internal audience" that Crimea can almost bloodlessly "return" to Ukraine.

So, in early April, the deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, said in an interview with the Financial Times that Kiev was ready for diplomatic negotiations with Moscow on Crimea if Ukrainian troops reached its borders.

"Zelensky and his clique constantly make not very adequate statements about the counteroffensive, largely repeating after their Western curators. The main task of this rhetoric, it seems to me, is to make the topic of "liberation of Crimea" a kind of higher goal of this conflict, "Mikhailov believes.

The promotion of the Crimean narrative is intended to demonstrate the conditions under which hostilities will end, and in favor of Kiev and its Western patrons, the analyst says.

"More and more people in the West and in Ukraine itself are wondering about the end of the conflict. In this context, the seizure of Crimea is presented as a response. There is logic in this, because such a scenario would mean a geopolitical victory over Russia. Another thing is that an attempt to break through to the Crimea and enter it for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in my opinion, will end in complete failure, a military catastrophe of the Zelensky regime," Mikhailov explained.

'Unparalleled support'

At the same time, experts are sure, the Kyiv regime is really preparing for a counteroffensive. This is what the material support from the United States and its allies, which has reached € 150 billion, is aimed at. In particular, at the moment, the training of nine armored brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fully equipped with NATO military equipment, has been completed.

According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, these formations should put Ukraine "in a strong position so that it continues to reconquer the occupied territories." He also claims that Ukraine is receiving "unprecedented support" from NATO member countries.

  • Ukrainian tankers
  • © General staff of Armed forces of Ukraine

"More than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. This means more than 1550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, including a huge amount of ammunition," Stoltenberg said on April 27 at a meeting in Brussels with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

However, according to Nemensky, at the moment this assistance is not enough to organize a major offensive. At the same time, Western sponsors demand that Kyiv deploy it, regardless of possible human losses.

In this regard, the Zelensky regime makes rather contradictory statements about the counteroffensive, analysts say. In particular, on April 26, the representative of the Defense Forces "South" of Ukraine, Natalia Gumenyuk, said on the air of the telethon that the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was already taking "small but confident steps." Its essence, the official said, is to minimize the capabilities of the RF Armed Forces.

On April 19, similar statements were made by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Malyar. In a conversation with reporters, she said that Ukrainian troops are in fact already conducting a counteroffensive, carrying out a set of various measures.

As Malyar emphasized, one should not wait for the announcement of any specific date for the counteroffensive. At the same time, in the alleged secret documents of the Pentagon, which got into the media in April, it was reported that it was planned for April 30.

Earlier, Kyiv announced a counteroffensive in the spring-summer period. In Russia, a similar scenario is also allowed. In particular, the founder of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, does not rule out that the Armed Forces of Ukraine may go on the attack in the first half of May.

Earlier, the founder of the Wagner PMC suggested that the human reserves of the Kyiv regime could number up to 200-400 thousand people.

However, in an interview with RT, retired Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk called such figures inflated. At the same time, he admitted that Kiev is able to take risks and try to launch a fairly large-scale offensive in several directions without the necessary level of artillery and aviation support.

"The enemy should not be underestimated. Moreover, he constantly probes our defenses in search of weaknesses. Yes, the enemy lacks armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems, aviation, ammunition. So far, we see only conversations and promises, but the West demands a demonstration of success, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine may try to break through our defenses in different directions, although, in my opinion, Kyiv will limit itself to imitating what it already calls a counteroffensive, "says Matviychuk.

Alexander Mikhailov also believes that the transition to a real counteroffensive is not in the interests of the Zelensky regime. The expert believes that Kiev is aware of the consequences of attempts to radically reverse the situation and, for this reason, is limited to "propaganda work" designed to instill confidence in the military and society in a successful outcome of the conflict for the Ukrainian authorities.

"In recent months, Kiev has been accumulating resources, but they are insufficient, and there are no prospects for changing the situation. Yes, the Zelensky regime can go all-in. But this is unlikely. In the history of grandiose plans for a counteroffensive, initially there was more propaganda than a real military scenario," Mikhailov concluded.