Is Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces imminent?

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, has signaled that a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces could be imminent. 

“The time has come to take back what is ours,” Zaluzhnyi wrote Saturday morning on his Telegram.

General Zaluzhnyi offered no indication of where and when Ukrainian forces might try to attack Russian forces to retake the occupied territory.

But the statement was accompanied by an emotional video of Ukrainian troops preparing for battle.

Entitled “Prayer for the Liberation of Ukraine”, it featured Ukrainian soldiers getting ready to fight and vowing to “destroy” their enemies.

The text was inspired by a nationalist poem from the 1920s written by Osyp Mashchack.

“Ukraine, our native motherland, Lord, our heavenly father, bless us!

I'm going to destroy the enemies of my country, the murderers of my brothers, and the rapists of my sisters.

Let my hand be steady to destroy my enemies!

Let my eyes be clear that I may kill my enemies!

Let my weapon be functional so that I may slay my enemies!

Let my will be of steel to crush my enemies!

Ukraine, my native motherland, God, our heavenly father, bless us!

Our decisive offensive!

Our sacred revenge!

Our holy victory!” the soldiers chant.

• On May 27, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that Ukraine is ready to launch offensive at any time

• On May 23, the chief of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Ukraine has the necessary minimum amount of weapons to launch a counteroffensive.