Ukraine Pres Zelenskyy warns Russia will 'throw everything they have' to turn war around

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday warned that Russia is planning to escalate its military aggression across the Ukrainian territories, and will "throw everything they have" to turn around the war. In a nightly address, Zelenskyy stated, "We have to disrupt this Russian scenario. We are preparing for this." Furthermore he insisted that pushing back on the Russian upcoming planned offensive will be the "final defeat" in the war that has dragged on for 10 months. Ukrainian troops are continuing their offensive to the east into Donetsk, as the battle between the Russian forces and Ukraine's army have intesified over the last few months after Russia's major terrotirial losses in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts. 

500 Russian troops killed or wounded near Chulakivka

Zelesnkyy, in his address, did not elaborate on the preemptive defensive measures Ukrainian forces were planning to take against the major offensive Moscow is suspected to launch in 2023. The latter is planning full-scale mobilisation to the war following the death of 89 Russian troops in the Ukrainian strike on the vocational college that was used as the temporary army barrack in Makiivka. Russian Defense Ministry put the casualty at 89 servicemen, including regiment's deputy commander, Lt. Col. Bachurin. Ukraine's top defence officials, meanwhile, on Wednesday warned that Russia invaded Ukraine from the north in February last year and now plans to execute a similar northern intrusion.

On Wednesday, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine took responsibility for another deadly attack on the Russian defensive positions, saying that around 500 Russian troops were either killed or wounded near Chulakivka, a town in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. "The enemy continues to suffer losses. It was confirmed that on December 31 Ukrainian Defense Forces hit an enemy troop and equipment stronghold near Chulakivka, Kherson region. "Around 500 enemy troops were wounded and killed," the General Staff said in a Telegram update. 

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels maintained that Ukrainian forces were planning a "big offensive" as the US President Joe Biden approved sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as AMX-10 RC and bastions to replenish the arms atockpile of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's President Vladmir Putin instructed the Defense Military to expand missile stockpiles, boost "the combat readiness of [Russia’s] nuclear triad," and ready what he called the world’s "most powerful" warhead – the intercontinental ballistic Satan II missile – for "combat duty."