Russians will soon get an “unpleasant surprise” regarding their invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly made an ominous statement regarding the future of the Ukraine war, saying that the invading Russians will soon experience an “unpleasant surprise” regarding the conflict.
It comes as the current Russian offensive against the city of Bakhmut appears to falter slightly, with forces loyal to the Putin administration now engaged in significant political infighting over preferential treatment and the availability of vital ammo supplies.
According to a report by Euronews, it is in this climate that Zelensky is planning a counterattack against the invading forces, though he kept the exact timing and nature of the planned assault close to his chest.
“I am not ready to communicate with you, to say when we will be advancing,” he reportedly said. “Because to some extent, this prepares the enemy. And therefore, I would like it to be an unpleasant surprise, not the other way around.”
Despite not explaining what the nature of said attack would be, the President expressed significant optimism that the pushback would be effective.
“I think we will achieve the appropriate result,” he continued, though added that he could not say whether the country’s counteroffensive would see “full sovereignty of Ukraine” restored by the end.
“I can’t say that yet, because it’s a war,” Zelensky explained.
Such a confident statement from Zelensky comes after Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin — one of Russia’s most important assets in Ukraine — appeared to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin in a video uploaded online by the paramilitary organisation.
In the footage, derided an unnamed senior official within the Russian government as a “happy grandfather” who “thinks that he is good” but really is a “complete asshole”.
Western commentators have now stated that Prigozhin is referring to Putin with his rant, something that could indicate a severe fractioning in Russian unity in terms of the ongoing conflict.