Ukraine's most senior ground forces commander sent a strong signal Thursday that the country's armed forces will launch a much-anticipated counteroffensive "very soon" to take back lost territory.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting in Donetsk were losing manpower, equipment and "considerable strength" and that "very soon" his forces would take advantage of the "opportunity" that presented.
The comments come just as Russian forces are seen to be losing momentum in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Separately, the head of the Wagner Group of mercenary forces in Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigoin, denied a Bloomberg report suggesting that he is preparing to reduce Wagner's involvement in the conflict after a major dispute with Russia's Ministry of Defense.