Desperate for Western military aid to arrive, Ukraine anticipates a major offensive could be launched by Russia for "symbolic" reasons around the Feb. 24 anniversary of the invasion, which Moscow persists in calling "a special military operation".

Ukraine is itself planning a spring offensive to recapture lost territory, but it is awaiting delivery of promised longer-range Western missiles and battle tanks, and some analysts say the country was months away from being ready.

"We are seeing more and more [Russian] reserves being deployed in our direction, we are seeing more equipment being brought in [...]," said Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine's governor of the mainly Russian-occupied Luhansk province.

"They bring ammunition that is used differently than before, it is not round-the-clock shelling anymore. They are slowly starting to save, getting ready for a full-scale offensive," Haidai told Ukrainian television.

"It will most likely take them 10 days to gather reserves. After Feb. 15 we can expect [this offensive] at any time."

The war is reaching a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making gains as it did in the second half of 2022 and Russia pushing forward with hundreds of thousands of mobilized reserve troops.

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