Kyiv almost ready to kick off counteroffensive - Ukrainian defense minister

"Let’s put it this way, in an overall sense, to a high percentage, we are ready, it’s now all up to the General Staff," he told a press conference on April 28, replying to a question about the much-vaunted counteroffensive that many contend Ukraine could unleash any time soon, according to TASS.

That said, Reznikov noted that Ukrainian troops have not yet completed all training courses for properly using donated Western equipment. "The equipment itself has been announced, prepared and partially delivered, but there are also military hardware items for which personnel training programs are nearly complete," he explained.

The Ukrainian defence chief noted that, overall, Kyiv’s preparations for a counteroffensive are nearing completion.

Media conjecture about a potential counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops has been rife for several months running, with various potential trigger dates being publicly mooted. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted that such open speculation within Western countries about expectations for an upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive only serves to confirm these countries’ direct involvement in the conflict.

On April 25, the New York Times, citing the Pentagon and US intelligence documents recently leaked via the Internet, reported that Ukrainian troops planned to launch a counteroffensive in the southern direction next month. The newspaper noted that, in order to set the stage for the counterattack, Ukraine must train 12 combat brigades of 4,000 troops each.