Russia prepares for Ukrainian counterattack with 'giant trench'

Media reports said that Russian forces are in advanced stages of digging a giant trench 72 km long in southern Ukraine, in anticipation of a counterattack that Kiev is seeking to launch, and is believed to be imminent.

Trench details

The giant trench is being dug in the Zaporizhia region, parts of which are controlled by Russian forces, especially the nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe.
The huge trench is located 80 kilometers from the current front lines.
The giant trench includes anti-tank emplacements.
Photographs showed people in military uniform digging parts of the trench, which The Sun said were workers from a third country.
The process of digging the trench began several months ago, and from two directions.
The British newspaper “The Sun” said, on Tuesday, that the move comes as part of Russia’s preparations to confront the imminent Ukrainian attack.

Credited image of the trench in February 2023.

Satellite image showing the course of the trench in Ukraine.

appears from space

Because the trench extends over tens of kilometers, it can now be seen from space.
The Sun reported that the Sentinel-2 satellite, which regularly takes high-quality images of the Earth’s surface and sea, monitored the trench, which looked like a deep scar in the Earth’s surface.
The Center for Investigative Journalism in Ukraine was the first to refer to the trench, in the style of World War I known as “trench warfare”.

What do analysts expect?

Military analysts expect Kiev to take advantage of the better weather to take the initiative on the battlefield with the support of new batches of Western weapons, including dozens of tanks and new forces trained in the West.
It is possible that the Ukrainian forces seek to penetrate the land corridor between Russia and the Crimea peninsula, to head from Zaporizhia towards Melitopol and the Sea of Azov. This could split the Russian forces in two.
Kiev forces face a formidable challenge to expel the Russian forces. Their shields would likely encounter minefields, anti-tank trenches, and other obstacles, while extensive trench systems would provide cover for Moscow’s forces.
The Kremlin wants Kiev to recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, and also to recognize the annexation of the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia last September.