MOSCOW, May 3. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces’ offensive has effectively commenced, and its active phase may begin in the upcoming days, Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said Wednesday.

"I believe that the offensive of the Ukrainian army has already commenced, basically. We see an extremely intensive activity of enemy aviation on the perimeter and inside the frontline," he said, answering a question from the media on the situation at the frontline.

"As to when it will enter an active phase - I believe, shortly, maybe in the upcoming days," Prigozhin said, according to his press office’s Telegram channel.

On April 25, The New York Time reported citing leaked Pentagon documents that Ukrainian forces scheduled a counteroffensive on the southern direction for May.

Previously, Prigozhin stated his certainty that the Ukrainian counteroffensive would begin before May 15.