Ukraine seeks ‘silence’ on its counter attack

DAN PELESCHUK

THE Ukrainian military on Sunday renewed its plea for operational silence around a long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces, the latest in a stream of messages by Kyiv as it prepares for the assault.

Anticipation has mounted around what is expected to be a broad attack by Ukrainian forces to retake Russianoccupied territory in the east and south.

But Ukrainian officials have repeatedly discouraged public speculation about the operation, saying it could serve to help the enemy.

Authorities in recent days have also cracked down on citizens sharing images or footage of air defence systems shooting down Russian missiles.

"Plans love silence. There will be no announcement of the start," the ministry said in a video posted to official Telegram channels, apparently referring to the counteroffensive.

The sleekly-produced footage featured masked and wellarmed frontline troops holding their fingers against their lips, gesturing for silence amid the distant rumble of artillery and gunfire.

It ended with images of soaring F-16 fighter jets –long coveted by Kyiv as it seeks to boost its air defence against Russian missiles and drones.

Kyiv's Western allies in recent months have provided weapons, armour and ammunition for the counteroffensive, which military experts have said could prove difficult against dug-in Russian forces.

In an interview published on Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was prepared for the operation but avoided making any predictions.

"To be honest, it can go a variety of ways, completely different," he told the Wall Street Journal. "But we are going to do it, and we are Other senior officials, including defence minister Oleksii Reznikov, have similarly sought to tamp down expectations.

Simsek, who was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and then as deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018, said that lowering Turkey's soaring inflation to single digits will be another priority.

"It is vital for our country to reduce inflation to single digits again in the medium term, to increase predictability in all areas, and to speed up the structural transformation which will reduce the current account deficit," he said.