Russia sends reinforcements to the front lines.

247 - Russia is sending reinforcements to the front line in the region east of Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week along a front where relentless battles have been raging for months, a Ukrainian governor said.

Desperate for Western military aid, Ukraine anticipates that a major offensive could be launched by Russia for "symbolic" reasons around the anniversary of the start of the special military operation on February 24, Reuters reports. 

Ukraine itself is planning a spring offensive to reclaim lost territory, but is awaiting delivery of promised Western long-range missiles and battle tanks. 

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

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the personnel changes at the border and front lines will bolster Ukraine's military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of its defense minister, as Russia advances in the east for the first time in six months.

In his speech on Monday night, Zelensky said he wanted to combine military and managerial experience in local and central government, but did not directly address the confusion over whether his Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, would be replaced. 

On Sunday, David Arakhamia, head of Zelensky's parliamentary bloc, said Reznikov would be transferred to another ministerial post, but on Monday he wrote that "there will be no personnel changes in the defense sector this week."

The European Union said Zelensky was invited to participate in a summit of EU leaders, amid reports that he could be in Brussels later this week, in what would be only his second known trip abroad since the start of the Russian military operation.

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