Ukrainian President Zelensky told Fox News that the Russian offensive had already begun

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday said he believed Russia had already begun the expected offensive in the east, but also noted that the situation was “complex”.

“The situation on the front line is complicated,” he said in an interview with Fox News’ Tri-Negest TV. “Russia is preparing for the rematch. We can feel it.”

“I think it has already started or not fully started. We will see that in the coming weeks,” Zelensky added.

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Defense officials have sounded the alarm that Russia is planning a major offensive in an effort to turn the tide The war in Ukraine After failing to make any significant progress in months and losing territory beginning in September with the liberation of Kharkiv.

Details of the offensive remain unclear and the fighting in Donbass and Kherson has been relatively static for weeks, Without a major escalation or progress from any side.

But even as the war approaches a year away, Zelensky said morale remains high among soldiers and citizens alike.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks at soldiers at the site of the fiercest battles with Russian invaders in Pakhmut, Ukraine, on December 20, 2022.
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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“We’ve had this war for more than a year and people are exhausted,” he told Fox News. “But there is still resilience in our soldiers.” “It’s important to be resilient. There’s this high level of morale among the people.”

Western defense officials are working to direct defense aid to Ukraine, and several countries have promised hundreds of tanks that Kyiv has long demanded, including the United States.

Ukrainian soldiers work with the “Bayon” artillery in the northern direction of the Donbas front line as the Russo-Ukrainian war continues in Donetsk, Ukraine, on January 7, 2023.
(Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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However, top defense aid such as tanks and Patriot missile battery systems are expected to take months before they can be used on Ukraine’s front lines — well beyond the point at which Russia is expected to strike Ukraine again with renewed vigor.

But Zelensky says his forces are ready and Ukraine has a plan to counter the Russian offensive, though details on the defense strategy remain limited.