Intelligence chief: Ukraine planning major counter-offensive in spring.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said in an interview with ABC News that Ukraine is planning a major offensive in spring.

He expects the fighting to be the “hottest” in March.

“This is (when we will see more) liberation of territories and dealing the final defeats to the Russian Federation,” he said. “This will happen throughout Ukraine, from Crimea to the Donbas.”

The Ukrainian government has consistently maintained that it will not relinquish any of its territory, including Crimea and Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast.

“Our goal, and we will achieve it, is returning to the borders of 1991, like Ukraine is recognized by all subjects of international law,” Budanov said.

In late December, Budanov said Ukraine would liberate the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula by a combination of military force and diplomacy.

Budanov also said then that he doesn’t expect a fundamental change on the Ukrainian front lines in the winter as “Russia is currently at a dead end.”