Severe thunderstorms broke out in several places near the front in Ukraine last week, causing localized flooding and flooding. Residents of Odessa and Zaporizhia, among others, showed on social media how several roads were flooded. Also in Luhansk, in Russian-occupied territory to the east, the city center was flooded after unusually heavy rains.
Not only did the high levels of water flood the roads and houses, but many Ukrainian and Russian trenches on the front line turned into puddles of mud. The earth had just dried up after an unusually long rainy period in the spring.
In recent months, this bad weather has been cited as one of the main reasons why the Ukrainian army is still waiting to launch its spring offensive. Heavy military vehicles and artillery systems threaten to get stuck in the mud. With the dry period, this problem seems to have gradually disappeared, until now.
According to David Helms, a former US Air Force meteorologist, the effect of rain on soils and drivability in Ukraine is “significant”. In many places the ground is now as muddy as it was in early May, when the spring rains seemed to be over.
Even today, strong thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected in some places on the front. Conditions will only improve slightly from tomorrow, although some meteorologists are also forecasting more rain than usual in June.
So the leadership of the Ukrainian army may again wait for better conditions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday evening, after a meeting with the General Staff, that “important decisions” had been made about the offensive, including “the timing of when we will proceed.”
“The Russians are facing a harsh awakening”
When and where the attack will eventually take place remains a closely guarded secret. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who visited Kiev last weekend and spoke with Zelensky, said upon his return to the US that he had been given a “deep insight” into the plans by the president. According to Graham, Russia is “already facing a rough awakening in the coming days.” “We will witness an impressive display of military force on the part of the Ukrainians,” the republican said.
Graham emphasized that Ukraine is fully engaged in “forming operations‘, such as attacks on Russian targets behind the front. Zelensky’s advisor, Mikhailjo Podoljak, confirmed that reading in a separate interview with CNN. “Everything that is happening now is a prelude to the attack, a necessary condition.” On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, two Russian oil refineries were again attacked, possibly by Ukrainian drones. Pictures showed a huge fire at a refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, 350 kilometers from the front.
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