Expert: US officials doubt the success of the Ukrainian forces' counterattack

The Washington Post's foreign policy expert, David Ignachis, reported that US officials are skeptical that Ukrainian forces will succeed in carrying out the counterattack.

According to the Ignaches report, US officials believe that Ukrainian forces lack the sufficient training and quantities of ammunition needed to make significant progress in the planned offensive.

In his report, the expert said, according to previously leaked classified documents on social networks, about two months ago, US intelligence claimed that the situation in Ukraine was "most likely moving towards a dead end."

Ignaches claims to have spoken with several US officials on April 13, to see if the US side has changed its mind since then. According to him, during this time "the main picture has changed slightly."

The expert also says that the Russian side "took control of 70-80%" of the territory of the city of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), "but the Ukrainians held out at great cost, avoiding a symbolic defeat."

The city of Artyomovsk is located north of the large city of Gorlovka, and it is considered an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian forces group in Donbass, and since last summer, fierce battles have been taking place in it for control of the city.