[Regnum] The Russian General Staff and intelligence received information about the preparation of the Ukrainian army for a counteroffensive at the beginning of 2023, said the head of the Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu on February 20 following a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
“In fact, the situation developed as follows: at the beginning of last year, the General Staff and all types of intelligence revealed information that a serious counter-offensive was being prepared,” Shoigu said in an interview with TASS.
The head of the Ministry of Defense said that the Ukrainian army was preparing up to 160,000 military personnel, 800 tanks, and 150 aircraft for a counteroffensive.
The Russian army built a deeply layered defense along the entire line of contact, since it was not clear where the Ukrainian Armed Forces would launch the main attack from.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive on June 4, 2023. It was widely advertised in Ukraine, but the campaign was not successful. On January 16, Putin announced the complete failure of this attempt by the Ukrainian army to advance.
Shoigu said on December 1 that during the six months of the counter-offensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 125,000 military personnel and 16,000 weapons. The Russian army has completely thwarted the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is constantly occupying more advantageous positions and expanding the territories under its control in all directions in the special operation zone.