WHILE THE WORLD WAITS FOR UKRAINE’S COUNTEROFFENSIVE, RUSSIA IS RATTLING ITS NUCLEAR SABRES ONCE AGAIN. SENSING THE URGENCY OF THE SITUATION, THE UNITED STATES IS ALSO SPEEDING UP DELIVERY ON THE ABRAMS TANKS IT PROMISED UKRAINE.

ON TUESDAY MORNING, DMITRY MEDVEDEV, A PUTIN ALLY AND RUSSIA’S FORMER PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER, SAID THE WORLD IS SICK AND ON THE VERGE OF A NEW WORLD WAR. HE ADDED THE RISKS OF NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION WERE ALSO RISING.

IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME PUTIN, OR HIS ALLIES, THREATENED TO USE NUKES IN UKRAINE AND LIKELY WON’T BE THE LAST.

THE FIGHTING IN UKRAINE IS STILL CENTERED AROUND THE CITY OF BAKHMUT. RUSSIA TRIED FOR MONTHS, AND FAILED, TO TAKE THE CITY.

RUSSIA’S INABILITY TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT BATTLEFIELD GAINS IS ALSO REPORTEDLY CAUSING IN-FIGHTING BETWEEN RUSSIAN SOLDIERS AND MERCENARIES FROM THE WAGNER GROUP. UKRAINE’S MILITARY SAID IT OBSERVED A GROUP OF RUSSIAN TROOPS EXCHANGING FIRE WITH WAGNER MERCS IN A SHOOTOUT IN LUHANSK.

RUSSIANS FIRING ON, AND KILLING, OTHER RUSSIANS IS BECOMING A RECURRING THEME IN THIS WAR. RUSSIAN CIVILIANS ARE ALSO AT RISK OF FRIENDLY FIRE. ON APRIL 20TH, A RUSSIAN JET BOMBED AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN THE RUSSIAN CITY OF BELGOROD. AUTHORITIES REPORTED TWO WOMEN WERE INJURED.

MEANWHILE, THE UKRAINIANS OBVIOUSLY AREN’T GOING TO ANNOUNCE THE OFFICIAL START OF THEIR COUNTEROFFENSIVE. THERE ARE INDICATORS, HOWEVER, WHICH COULD BE USED TO DECIPHER THE TIMING. FOR STARTERS, IT NEEDS TO STOP RAINING FIRST. UKRAINE’S MUD SEASON IS VERY REAL AND MAKES MANEUVERING HEAVY VEHICLES LIKE TANKS DIFFICULT. THINGS TYPICALLY DRY OUT AFTER MAY 1ST IN UKRAINE.

ALSO, IF THE CLASSIFIED DISCORD DOCUMENTS ARE TO BE BELIEVED, UKRAINE’S AIR DEFENSES WERE SET TO RUN OUT OF AMMUNITION BY THE END OF MAY. GROUND ATTACKS TEND TO GO BETTER IF TROOPS HAVE AIR SUPPORT.

AND LASTLY, THE US AND OTHER NATO ALLIES ARE SPEEDING UP AND INCREASING AID DELIVERIES. EVEN THE 31 ABRAMS TANKS THE U.S. PROMISED UKRAINE, WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO TAKE A YEAR TO GET THERE, WILL NOW BE IN COUNTRY BY FALL. THAT’S TOO LATE FOR THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE BUT COULD BE JUST IN TIME TO REINFORCE ANY NEW POSITIONS UKRAINE MAY OCCUPY AT THAT TIME.

ORIGINALLY, THE U.S. SAID IT DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH ABRAMS TANKS IN ITS STOCKPILES TO SEND UKRAINE, SO IT WOULD HAVE TO BUILD NEW ONES. BUT APPARENTLY THERE WERE ENOUGH ABRAMS IN STORAGE AFTERALL, SO THE U.S. WILL REFURBISH THE PROMISED TANKS INSTEAD.

GENERAL MARK MILLEY SAID THE ABRAMS ISN’T A SILVER BULLET, BUT HE HAS NO DOUBT THE GREATEST TANK IN THE WORLD WILL HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

POLAND IS SO CONFIDENT IN THE ABRAMS’ ABILITY, IT ORDERED MORE THAN 360 OF THEM FROM THE U.S. AND AS OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES LOOK TO REPLENISH THE TANKS THEY SENT TO UKRAINE, IT’S LIKELY EVEN MORE ABRAMS WILL BE DEPLOYED TO STRENGTHEN NATO’S EASTERN FLANK. SEEING AN OPPORTUNITY, POLAND’S PRIME MINISTER SAID HE WANTS TO ESTABLISH AN ABRAMS SERVICE CENTER IN HIS COUNTRY, TO MAINTAIN BATTLE READINESS FOR ALL THE ABRAMS IN EUROPE.

WE HAVE PLENTY OF UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM.