According to officials of the US Department of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a "good chance" of returning the southern territories captured by the Russians.
Politico writes about this with reference to two unnamed officials.
The US knows that the Armed Forces destroyed the main bridges across the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, which cut off Russian supply routes. In the Pentagon, the strikes of the Armed Forces on bridges, rear bases, and command posts are seen by the Russians as preparation of the "battlefield for a counteroffensive."
In general, the Pentagon is pleasantly surprised by the way Ukrainian defenders use the provided Western equipment, especially the HIMARS jet systems.
- On August 29, the Operational Command "South" announced the start of a counteroffensive in the Kherson region. The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched what was probably a preparatory operation, having previously struck three main bridges and warehouses of the occupiers.
- At the same time, American officials also confirmed in a comment to CNN that Ukraine had begun certain counteroffensive actions. There they call it the beginning of the "formation" of conditions for a military operation.