The aggressor country Russia, amid the inevitability of a Ukrainian counterattack, is facing problems in the conduct of its war. The Kremlin continues to "purge" the chain of command, reassigning the same generals to different positions, while at the same time Russian mercenaries threaten to abandon their positions because they are suffering losses and are not given ammunition.

CNN analysts pointed to telling moments in this. According to them, the long-awaited attacks by the AFU seem inevitable, and the way each side behaves in the run-up to them speaks eloquently about the readiness of the forces.

"Kyiv's front line is buzzing with the movement of equipment and artillery fire, with regular explosions hitting vital Russian facilities in the occupied territories. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated that preparations "are coming to an end," while President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that the counteroffensive "will happen," but objected to any exact start date," according to the story.

Analysts suggested that the Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattack might have already begun, or it would start in a few weeks. However, they stressed that this fact of obscurity is a convincing indicator of Ukraine's success.

The publication compared Moscow to a company "in the bar fight stage" before the closure of its war. Experts noted that after "losing" Kharkiv and Kherson, Russian troops had at least seven months to "prepare the next likely target of a Ukrainian attack - Zaporizhzhia"

The occupiers have indeed dug extensive trench defense networks in the temporarily occupied territories of the region, which can be seen from space. But acknowledging the scale of these trenches is not a compliment to the Russian army in 2023.

"Yes, they are large, but anyone can view them on Google. That's not a good thing in an era of precision missiles and the rapid development of armored vehicles. But it was the last 72 hours that perhaps gave away Russia's lack of readiness the most," the analysts stressed.

They pointed to the obvious dismissal of Russian Deputy Defense Minister for Logistics Mikhail Mizintsev in the last days of April. This "Mariupol butcher" certainly had enough shortcomings in Russia's disastrous war to merit his resignation, but the question is why it happened now. Experts speculate that by firing key military commanders moments before its army faces a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Moscow is sending a message of confusion.

Against this background, a new round of criticism of the Kremlin's military strategy came from the head of the Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin. He gave another long interview, exposing the scale of the problems faced by his mercenaries on the Ukrainian front.

According to "Putin's cook," the "Vagnerians" have so little ammunition that they may have to withdraw from Bakhmut, a strategically unimportant town, in an attempt to capture which they have wasted thousands of lives.

"Prigozhin is not the most reliable source, and he provides little evidence of what he says. But Moscow would not encourage this kind of public squabbling at this delicate moment," the analysts quipped.

They added that the depletion of ammunition stocks in the Russian army has long been known, but suggesting an imminent failure just before a counterattack is an attempt by the occupiers to shift the blame.

"The number of hours before the Ukrainian Defense Forces move to the front is shrinking. What we know about their (the occupiers. - Ed.) emotional state or purpose is almost zero. And the scale of Moscow's internal indecision, rivalry and disunity is only increasing," experts concluded.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, journalists of The Times, citing the British military, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not yet ready for an active offensive because Western military aid supplies could not cover the need for ammunition. At the same time, they pointed out that the Russian army is also not ready for a Ukrainian counteroffensive, which will certainly begin.

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