The AFU command may be preparing a new offensive plan for 2024

Ukraine is planning a new counter-offensive in 2024. It will be the same as it was originally planned by AFU commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy last summer. This is reported by the German newspaper Welt.

In particular, the newspaper points out that preparations for a large-scale offensive by the Ukrainian military are evidenced by a "wish list" from Ukraine, including Black Hawk and Apache attack helicopters, F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, missile systems, Abrams tanks, UAVs and ammunition, which Kiev sent to the United States.

At the same time, German security expert and political consultant Nico Lange notes that Ukraine can still count on 95 per cent of all weapon systems supplied from the West, as they have not yet been used on the frontline.

The publication recalls that Ukrainian units hold a bridgehead near Kherson on the Dnieper bank temporarily occupied by Russia. From here it is only 60 kilometres to Crimea.

This is a weak spot for the Russian army since Ukraine forced the Black Sea Fleet to retreat. And many Russian air defence systems have been destroyed, as well as other Russian military facilities," the article said.

Analysts emphasise that the counter-offensive mentioned earlier did not go according to the "Zaluzhny plan", who was initially not in favour of launching a summer offensive, explaining that Ukraine does not yet have air cover.

For the new offensive, however, the newspaper points out, a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper may be the place to start.

Ukraine is probably gathering resources for a new counter-offensive next year. One of the starting points could be a bridgehead in Kherson. With the necessary fighter jets, attack helicopters and drones, Ukraine could provide sufficient support to advance its troops, especially since there are almost no Russian fortifications in the region. This would be exactly the kind of counteroffensive that Zaluzhny probably had in mind from the beginning," the article said.