Putin describes Ukrainian counter-offensive as sluggish – Politics –

2023-06-21 16:15:00

21.06.2023 16:15

(Akt. 21.06.2023 16:20)

Offensive naturally meets with strong resistance ©APA/AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the progress of the Ukrainian counter-offensive as sluggish on Wednesday. In addition, the Ukrainian side is suffering heavy losses, Putin said on state television. Previously, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had admitted difficulties in the counter-offensive against the Russian invading troops. Progress on the battlefield is “slower than desired,” he said in a BBC interview.

“Some people think this is a Hollywood film and are now expecting results. It’s not,” Zelenskyi told the British broadcaster, according to a post published on Wednesday. The military push is not easy, as 200,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have been mined by Russian forces. According to the government, the Ukrainian armed forces continued their counter-offensive with attacks on Russian positions in the south. In other sections of the front, they had secured recent gains in territory, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar. In the east, the troops would withstand a full-scale Russian attack.

Zelenskyj said Ukraine would not allow itself to be pressured in its counter-offensive. “With all due respect, we will advance the battlefield as we see fit.” Deputy Defense Minister Malyar said via the short message service Telegram that the Ukrainian armed forces are continuing their offensive operations in the direction of the city of Melitopol deep in the occupied territory in the south and in the direction of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea. She spoke of heavy fighting in the east, particularly near the town of Lyman, which Ukrainian forces recaptured from Russian forces in October. “In the east, the defenders continue to hold back a large-scale attack by Russian forces in the direction of Lyman and Bakhmut,” Maljar said. The east remains the focus of Russian attacks. Russia is still trying to fully conquer the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Donetsk and Luhansk form the Donbass industrial region.

According to Ukraine, it has recaptured eight villages in the south in the past two weeks. The advances into the heavily fortified and mined areas under Russian control, while small, are the largest since November. The leadership in Kiev has been preparing a counter-offensive for months, which they hope will bring about a turning point in the war. However, it has imposed a news blackout and independent reports are scarce. According to experts, most of Ukraine’s armed forces have yet to be deployed, some of which have been trained and equipped by the West. It is therefore too early to draw conclusions about the success of the offensive. But there are said to be heavy casualties on both sides.

According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR), the cooling pool for the reactors of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been mined by Russia. The six-reactor complex, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been occupied since shortly after Russia invaded in February last year. “The most frightening thing is that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was also mined during this time – namely the cooling basin,” said GUR boss Kyrylo Budanov on Tuesday without presenting any evidence. There was initially no comment from the Russian Ministry of Defense.