Ukraine appears keen to rebuff a claim by a U.S. official that fighting in the war could take slow down over winter.
On Saturday, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the U.S. expects to see a "reduced tempo" in the fighting in Ukraine to continue over the next few months before counteroffensives resume in earnest in the spring.
A spokesperson for Ukraine's armed forces in the east of the country, which is seeing intense fighting as Russian troops try to advance on and seize the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, said Sunday that Ukraine is "doing everything to be ready for the winter period of military operations" and is preparing its equipment and units for winter combat.
Ukraine has been keen to dispel any idea of a lull in the fighting or loss of momentum in their counteroffensives, with President Zelenskyy calling for unity and for citizens to support one another as freezing temperatures set in. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense has been posting videos of tanks plowing through muddy, water-logged fields in recent days, and high morale among its soldiers.