A second offensive by the occupying Russian army may begin by February 24 in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov believes.

"Now they are preparing for maximum activation, given that they are people from the USSR, and that by some anniversary they should have some achievements. There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave [of offensives] by February 24," Danilov said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

According to him, the National Security and Defense Council and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have an understanding in which areas the Russian army wants to repeat the offensive maneuver.

"They [the Russian army] have a task regarding Donetsk and Luhansk regions so that they completely reach their borders," he said.

In addition, Danilov noted, the invaders had been engaged in reconnaissance of the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of Zaporizhia for a week now.

"And now [the occupiers] have a certain accumulation of troops there. We understand what is happening in the Russian Federation on this matter," he said, adding that the Ukrainian Defense Forces now need to be in maximum concentration and readiness, since the Russian Federation has a lot mobilized and armor.

At the same time, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, today the vigilance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian border guards is in a completely different state than last year.

"Ukraine in February 2022 and February 2023 is already a different situation ... As it was in February 2022, they definitely won't succeed. But this is not a reason for us to rest on our laurels, to believe that everything is over. On the contrary, we must prepare as much as possible," he summed up.