- Zelensky Affirms That The Threats Created By Putin Could Surpass The Chornobyl Tragedy

Ukrainian soldiers inspect the site where a Russian missile fell, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday.

Ukraine says Putin is preparing a big offensive for the New Year

Senior Ukrainian officials have claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing a major offensive ahead of the new year, despite his recent defeats in recent months, British newspaper The Guardian reported exclusively on Thursday.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, for his part, has stressed that they could now successfully defend against these possible attacks on key infrastructure, including the electricity grid. Some politicians, like Reznikov, qualified that this offensive could come in February.

Likewise, the Ukrainian authorities ruled out achieving a ceasefire in the country on the occasion of Christmas and New Year, since there is "no proposal on the table", and indicated that the truce would only be possible if the Russian forces agree to abandon the territory.

Army General Oleksi Gromov indicated at a press conference that "there will not be a complete ceasefire on the Ukrainian side until there is not a single occupation force left in the area," according to the UNIAN news agency, and collects Europe Press.

"At the moment, the situation at the front has not changed significantly," he added, noting that Ukrainian forces have managed to advance about 1.5 kilometers towards the town of Kreminna in the Luhansk region.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky had offered Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine this Christmas, but the move has been completely rejected by the Russian government.

This same week, the Kremlin has stated that it has not received any proposal to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine coinciding with Christmas, although it has made it clear that this possibility is not on the agenda of a government, which continues to justify its offensive in the need to protect the local population.

"No proposals have been received from anyone," the main spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dimitri Peskov, told the media when questioned about the possibility of an at least temporary truce, during the coming weeks, reports the Interfax agency.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 and, despite counterattack measures, Moscow continues to maintain control over about 18% of the territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.