with an exclusive look into the secret world of investigative journalism. behind the headlines in 45 minutes on dw i, she's got issues with a lot say what the ukraine appears ready to launch its long awaited counter offensive preparations are coming to an end according to the government and expectations are high, not only in ukraine, but also amongst its allies, drone strikes on targets in russian occupied parts of crimea are laying the ground for you cranes move since these areas are crucial progression resupply. at the same

time, russia is building a trench networks so massive. they are visible from outer space and launching nightly air attacks on q of and other cities. ukraine's defense minister says his land is defending not only itself but year, and has earned a full membership in nato. today we're asking ukraine's talent or offensive candidates meets expectations. the hello and welcome to to the point. it is a pleasure to welcome our guests beginning risk for stuff, right, to who reports from conflict phones, including ukraine for the german german news magazine. there should be go. you have been danco is associate professor at carlos and university and how she's and she's also a research fellow at the berlin basin for east european and international studies.

joyce and nick connelly reports from ukraine for dw, and he joins us today from kids. great to see you again, nick, and let me start with you and ask you what signs you are seeing there on the ground . that in fact, this long away the counter offensive is, is, is now pending. well, we all finally seeing lots of those things on ukraine's wish list in terms of western weapons. finally arriving at different systems, those tanks that we're just new on everyone's minds for months and see me no progress coming. that finally is materializing as for actual kind of actions of the ground. we've seen a bit of an attempt by the cranes to attack coercion positions on the other side of the new port river from capstone very little in the way of a full scale attack. i think the expectations just on mounting and everyone feels like the grading government now is under siege pressure to deliver some results these explosions uh in occupied crime. yeah. what's behind that?

i think this is about disrupting rushes, logistics. it's about depriving them of fuel, of the ability to bring in supplies to that garrisons. they have kind of thought that occupied cry. me, it was that kind of safe into land. and i think the ukraine's approving time and time again that it isn't. is kristof what's your impression of morale on the ukrainian side as this counter offensive is impending. what we have the experience in the epi center of battles own inbox mode states. we, under a few, made the sauce the how out want ukrainian soldiers have been in this fighting, which is much more brutal than just a using artillery or we have not seen them. or what we don't know is the amount of proper planning to have units. they will not be deployed in any offensive because

they simply too exhausted box to build up fresh units of the units will participate in this. so we will basically in a different theater and i want to come back to that question of the strength of ukrainian forces, but there are reports that in fact ukraine has had a massive recruitment drive to bring in new soldiers. and in fact uh to give them really in depth training. can you confirm that? yeah, yeah, this has happened. and the, the other side of the middle of a stick to do is unit off. and the former territorial defense groups, statewood and incorporated into the army which were based in behold, ended on bus in the south east, um zones of halo. that they felt a bit abandoned on neglected that they bought the brand of the fighting and to not rotating with units which were used specifically trained specifically

to be used in upcoming offensive me. usually let me ask you about reports that there were explosions over the kremlin. russia is saying that they were launched by ukraine in connection with this impending counter offensive. does it seem plausible that kids actually would sick to attack russia on its own soil? well, uh for me is sweater. question about it because the extra durations as well, again, that is where the tigers, so they don't need any justification for a more intensive at the con ukraine. so they, they definitely don't need these to, but to you quality, an army tries to a total flies civil population, the in russia and to implants. but i've been blessed. i'm brought this to some, you know, public mood for the. so i can't exclude that ukraine can be the part or full for

the separation bought the i would say that the for me more efficient that these happen in with, but she's sick, a change in russia. what type in an inquiry me out or in the auto flash other than most collection, and because it's more like a psychological effect. thank you very much. let's take a closer look. now, after months of preparation, including recruitment, re supply and training, how well positioned our ukraine's forces to make significant gains. we looked here at the state of preparations for this long awaited spring offensive. this is the faster pool in russian annex crimea, where a fuel depot was allegedly struck by ukrainian drone according to keys, the oil tanks were being used by rushes, black sea fleet, apparently acts of sabotage and russian supply chains are on the rise. at the same

time you printing and soldiers are training for an offensive most of their tank seen here from the 1970s. their dream machine is the american, the bronze abrams is like comparing a brand new mercedes as class to an old lata. ukrainian military intelligence is still when a possible recapture of pressure occupied territories this year. but ukraine still faces the suppression. airstrikes meant a torpedo. ukrainian attack plans in the mon missile has struck an apartment building shilling more than 20 civilians. and poplar rod russian cruise missiles have caused severe damage, killing at least 2 people, sabotage drone and missile attacks. are these the beginning of the offensive? let me pass that question on to you and let me also get you to comment on the

degree to which the ukranian troops are now supplied with the kind of weapon systems that they need to go ahead. you said the tanks are finally there. we heard the, the soldiers in that report comparing their dream tanks, the us abrams to, uh, to what they referred to as their old soviet tanks that were like lod as do they in fact have the kind of modern weapon read. they're going to need to but as far as we understand now, the abrams are still on their way. it's the german build left the tanks and some of the bridges challenges that are already here. and then there's obviously research question of the munitions to go with them. there's been a consistent program through this. will that western industry part of just assuming you don't understand quite how intensive this war is, that they don't kind of get into the heads. but this is a little being fault over a 1000 kilometers, plus, and when you get announcements from kind of western governments offering to send $23000.00 shelves a month. when this is the kind of quantity gets fired in

a day or even less, sometimes that does leave people scratching their heads here in cuba. as for the kind of easy enough, what we've heard some talk figures here and keep saying that they think more or less they have what they need. because we don't know what it is. exactly that planning how big the planning to go and what they're gonna face on the other side. but there was a sense that often months of dragging their feet of kind of endless political ranking and conflict about western governments refusing it kind of ukraine's a month that finding a bit of kind of dynamism is not picking up. and the, these, you know, deliveries are happening in the most structured and more logical with them and it was at the spare parts of being delivered. so that when these western high tech weapons are exhausted, often 234 weeks of intense use that they can then be quickly repaired and said back in front lines. and they've just been very quick follow up because i know that you have been talking to soldiers on the front line to say they can fight even with old weapons and material. is that in fact the case? do you think or are they perhaps getting themselves this i think would depends

what they're trying to do, but suddenly they've been doing a very good job of getting the best out of often weapons that a twice their age. i think it's also, you know, the case that they don't really have a choice, right. they, they all getting, you know, basically materials are from eastern europe, from countries and still produced the soviet era weaponry. and they don't have the choice of saying, well, i'd prefer to wait for the western stuff to arrive. it's just not going to happen. i think, oh, this was just being about improvisation about dealing with that relative discrepancy between what they have, what the russians have been trying to find the rest of the week. points. kristof earlier this year in germany made headlines by finally committing to deliver those leopards to tanks, that christa that nick referred to. and it also tried to put together a tank coalition that included promises from the u. s. to deliver abrams, but also promises from other europeans who then drag their feet. where does that stand now? what is the situation with regard to these much discuss?

discoveries deliveries of tax won't fit the number will be small on pain initially hoped for to be fixed if you have lots 7040 or 70 illegal ponds. the things the su remains to be seen cause as makes sense and the numbers. so small bits, the impact of more than the width and the re, can be seen if they use a very specific main, a full one, the quick offensive, and this specific area. but on an 11 q will meet the front line. if you have a 100 legal part, that means one the every 100 kilometers. um, so it's not so much the point to if the numbers on the side or the base i plus what was made possible, is this an old devotion of leo button,

the higher numbers would be delivered and for ukraine in military, they have been able to refurbish t 62 t 64 tanks from the 60s with the upgraded material basically from the home depot. uh from electronic stores. um, so they can deal with somebody, ask you about training because training is obviously key for these new weapon systems that many of the ukrainian soldiers would not have seen before. do they have adequate training now as they prepare to go into this, this new offensive? what my colleagues here from the experiences of the german forces of to train us. yes. but it's, it's less the question is has enough that training facility has enough training been offered, but how do people pick it up? german civic periods was training the, the often army was never really interested in the new, the, in the fighting is much as the opinion. so it's, it's

a mutual understanding the training is offered, but also the very, very quickly adapt to get used to it. and i, the exchange the interested in being able to run these machines. you only have russia was long, sought to have a decisive advantage in terms of the size of its armed forces. at the outset of the war, key of talked about a massing a 1000000 strong army, apparently a major recruitment drive, as i mentioned earlier, has in fact taken it close to that number. what would you say is the state of morale amongst those ukrainian forces? kristof told us many in fact, at least around by most of are quite exhausted. what is the state of morale as they move towards this new offensive? thank you for asking, because my nephew, he's in the ukranian army now and he's nearby of div cars. so it's loaded uh mm hm. and then to this place and the,

and the morales is very high there. and that i lot of young people because my nephews only 19 years old and that a lot of the young people who joined to queen young are means to join in the ukrainian army involuntarily. and with that a liberated here that the, the really eager to be trained and the, some of them are refusing to get the coffee break, you know, but the, they, they want to, to get know that just as soon as possible. but really that are a lot of problems with equipment with them, a nation. so it's not only about heavy weaponry, but those, so to the game, you know, do the personal stuff, for example, that is the 2nd helmet reach a button for mile when cost. and i know a lot of volunteers from harv give from people and the people are a collect and then lives in money for every day needs that and run them levels among them on drones. so really, it's kind of

a civil society really and will be at the level of morales very high. but i would say that the, when the west coast supplies saw come into your brain, young army, this is due to some notes. so, you know, dangerous for, for you quitting and sold service because they, on the front line to themselves will cover things more secure from, from the back line. and just briefly, if you would, because there have of course, been many, many, please coming from kia for the west to deliver more and faster and obviously some disappointment there. what is, what about among the troops? do they feel that in essence, western allies have left them left them in the lurch? i would say uh they, they have no choice, but to fight back here though. so it's not about the, the lease to, to, to be involved in this war. but the, the, the,

the practical russian army show him that it is larry, you know, cruel war and the actually they, they stand in for the come to be not the full key, but as you, for the landscape or somebody else. so those they protect in the mother's their families and they have no, and now they choose chris of what do we know about ukraine's aims for the counter offensive? nick said not all that much. we don't know how far it's likely to go. we don't know exactly what form it could take, what are you hearing? well, i would say can what makes it? because if we see retrospectively, the most successful offending 50, okay. and the ends date, it was a total surprise when everybody was exec, expecting the offensive in to 1000. it's that they liberated all the area around kind of give in the far east. so even if we were to gates, amy hills, where it will stand, which areas it will targets. i would think that this is rhonda and attempt to

divert attention thing to giving us the real b dates because nothing would be more detrimental for any success of these offensive if it would be known if it were made public before. so we, we, we don't know, and we don't think that they will leak. and nick, if i made a quick look at the russian side, the head of rushes, wagner mercenary group, says that he definitely does see signs of a looming ukrainian counter offensive. and he took the opportunity to complain that his forces and how far too little artillery ammunition and that in fact if things continue as they are, that he would have to consider withdrawing them. artillery was long sought to be a very big problem on both sides. what is the situation now at the moment on that score as well? again, the russians are obviously keeping tight lipped about what they actually have in

the storage units. but i think this is also part would be a power struggle between those, most of the groups fucking to be in the most prominent of those and the regular russian army. so there's a sense that he goes in and his troops up being deprived of munition, because they were doing too well. they were getting too much attention and were basically putting the breaking the original mean in the shade, especially in terms of all the kind of criminal politics. so i'm not sure that actually means that russia is not able to produce more ammunition university has all the metallurgical facilities has all the factories has basically a soviet era military, industrial complex that is basically set up for executives kind of war. what they all struggling with is christmas oiled. anything that involves a bit more technology because they were basically 100 percent dependent on west and spare parts west and ships and they can't do it on their own us. and. and i want to turn in just a moment to talk about how ukranian citizens are looking toward this calendar offensive. but christopher, if you would just one word once again on expectations,

because i saw one quote this week of from a western military expert saying that in his view, the ukrainian forces are now the best equipped, best prepared, best trained army in the world, at least for the kind of where they're fighting would you agree? uh, base the clipped. yeah. because still for the front line which in one line would reach from here to instantly. if you have 50 or 100 or 150 legal promptings. this is not sufficient. plus, you will have to see that the bronze of the equipment is of the age off when i was younger from the $76.00 these and you have a few modem of um, i think we um, the many military officials here in an illusion about what it means to deliver rather small number of, of high tech equipment. if it's really in,

deployed in the, in an actual battle, because then it might simply be correct middle of the one months or the better of that. we'll see a lot of eerie taishan about these pumps. i hope it's a 2050 barrels after only 12 months needed to be exchanged. you, of course, if the a used 434-5000 shots, every federal needs to get exchange. but in this our, me or simulation in the waste, they never use them so much. so they have a surprise about wolfram. so now i would not agree with, like, i'm in the us. yep. i just want to say, i think most western generals, german american, british have never been and never for a while like this. yes. they fought against insurgencies and the police. maybe they've been on peacekeeping missions, but they didn't me. i only know about these kind of who was from them was from the 2nd to maybe even the 1st world war. so they really are often just not able to cross the scale of based on the intensity. and what we certainly do also know from

those prior conflicts, that is, that it's not only the resilience of the armed forces themselves, but also of the larger population that will influence the outcome, both of this counter offensive and of the war as a whole. russia's massive attacks throughout the winter on ukraine's critical infrastructure on its water, electricity and housing have deprived many citizens of their homes and their livelihoods. yet they don't appear to have ducted most people's will to carry on. this woman's house as being demolished because the damage caused by rushing shells during the battle of her pin was far too great. this hurts a lot. it's like someone ripped out a piece of my heart or soul. and yet many people want to remain in their homeland, including residence, a chest of yard, which rests near the embattled city of buck moved states. and then there's a few kitchen in the market where the soldiers eat. we get whatever's left over.

they are holding out hope that you create in troops will push the russians back. ukrainian soldiers enjoy a small diversion with music between compact operations team with my lot, the better we treasure our culture. now more than ever, we, because we're united in a common goal, which is victory, but a more maintaining morale. and that's what these moments are all about. where do ukrainians draw their strengths from? and let me pass that question right on to you. yeah, uh what's your answer to that? where do they draw the strength from? what are you hearing from family and friends? well, my family is in hark, you know, but also they have a, i have a lot of and friends cmt of or even installed in the ukraine. and i would say that

cohesion, social cohesion and regional cohesion name ukraine, probably the highest team since the gaining independence in 1991. and actually, there are more than 70 percent of people who declare that they try to make the inputs in these resistance with the donating marty with the donation some style for a internally displaced the person so that i lot of people who are speech in to you court in of you don't wish to speak russian, especially from the eastern part of your brain. i have these examples in my family . my mom is ethnical russian, but she's speaking only ukrainian now and can see the for self to be ukranian citizen. so the identity to be put in citizen and actually even to be a you wrote in person is increased significantly and they would say that more than 60 percent. so if you queen, you can see that that ukraine should resist. so that even without the western,

you know, assistance, it wouldn't be in the bonded by less than dollars. and what are the expectations of, of ukraine's citizens in regard to the counter offensive to they expect it to be decisive for the war? or do they have the sense that this war could drag on for quite some time? well, there is no consensus about my college seen ukraine, them that i lot of ma'am sen, joke said, because you pronounce kind of a brilliant sense of humor, you know, and it's also part of, of the resilience. so for you putting in society, but i would f p a that the according to the decent public opinion poll conducted by rosen call center, a 9 to 3 percent so. so you're putting a, they believe in ukrainian victory and about 5050 percent. so half of the people believe that the work would be longer than a year. so people are ready to to, you know, to fly to for a long period with nick,

one in for ukrainians is now impoverished. many live in rubble, as we could see. and that report, what's your impression, how long can people hold out? as certainly sure, living close to the front lines. you meet those people who have lost everything you've lost that business has looked at homes. but i think actually the kind of surprising reality is that actually you don't see many people in total destitution, most people have already found a way to western europe. so that kind of the refugee state, just as being a real kind of pressure kind of a valve allowed to pressure out and allow people who you don't know what to do. a breather. they can go find, you know, some way to live and be given some kind of benefit, some money to kind of, you know, basically work out what to do next. and then lots of people have moved internally, or as in 2014 your local moving to key or from eastern parts of the country funding businesses. so there is a sense that, you know, the economy is now growing once again, and the people are always going to find some way to keep going, even if they've lost a lot of that quality of life. and if they're evenings,

christmas, very briefly, if you would, our title asks whether the counter offensive can meet expectations. what would be your answer to that? very short? it can. if it's surprising and if we don't know what it is. so the mystery remains. thank you very much to all of you for being with us and, and thank you very much to all of our audience for joining in. see the,

the, the shift your guide to life in the digital world. to explore the latest online trends, navigate your way through the digital journal goals. get a global perspective. we'll be your guide and show you what's possible.

you decide what really matters to you. shift. coming up on the w visa affair. in 2019 an investigative report brought down austria's government. how did the journalist make this happen? and what's the story behind the an exclusive look into the secret world of an investigative journalism. behind the headlines in 15 minutes on d. w. the lines of species populate our planet. most of them are here long before i was on when humans came along that the mass extinction began and the

diversity of sanctions on british and miles, the ethics they are going to or sabotage the wild dials. start to main 19 d, w for a brain update. its magic is the kind of magic because this orchestra called the brain continuously announcing cells. so we ask a few stupid questions. are we smarter east warms? or us causes monster waves. hope

your full on your thoughts. now whether we can control our thoughts, which makes us very power. seems we have to learn a lot. and we do that through play. questions about life, the universe. kind of like a superpower. our series 40 to answer. almost every thing this week on dw, the, this is dw news, and these are also stories. the world health organization has dictated an end to the coven 90 in global health. and the agency, the u. n. agencies highest the lowest level had been in place for more than 3 years of the w h o director general and that the virus is here just.