A still from a video showing Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian Army Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Marijal (who was not seen), claimed on June 12, 2023, that the Ukrainian army regained control of the village of Storozhevo in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which was A major hotspot in Ukraine. The war between Moscow and Kiev.
Mikhail Ostrogradsky’s 35th Brigade | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukraine has been cautious in public when tallying progress in its counteroffensive to retake territory held by Russian forces this month, with the Ukrainian president and a U.S. general acknowledging on Friday that progress is measured in blood .
Army General Mark Milley, a senior U.S. military officer, told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington that the counteroffensive “is advancing steadily, consciously going through very difficult minefields … 500 meters a day, 1,000 meters a day, 2,000 meters a day, things like that. things.”
He said he wasn’t surprised that progress was slower than some people and computers predicted.
“There’s a difference between a war on paper and a real war. In a real war, real people die. Real people are on the front lines, real people are in those vehicles. Real corpses are shredded by high explosives.”
He added, “I said it’s going to take six weeks, eight weeks, 10 weeks, it’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be very long and it’s going to be very, very bloody. And nobody should be doing that to this All under any illusions.”
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the counteroffensive was “slower than expected,” without giving many specifics. Ukraine says it has recaptured a group of villages in an operation to liberate 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) of land in the south, but that is only a fraction of the total territory Russia controls.
On Friday, Zelenskiy said his forces were advancing “in all directions of our active operations,” while Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Marjal said the military’s assessment was progressing “as planned” and that counteroffensive operations should continue. Different military missions are evaluated by “many dimensions”. “
Reuters could not verify the situation on the battlefield. Russia, which began an all-out invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, has yet to acknowledge Ukraine’s gains and says Ukrainian troops are suffering heavy casualties.
slowing down saves lives
Zelensky said Ukraine wanted to show the results ahead of the July 11 NATO meeting in Lithuania, where Kiev would like to receive an invitation to begin the process of joining the U.S.-led military alliance, but not at any cost.
“Before the summit we have to show results,” Spanish state broadcaster RTVE quoted him as speaking to Spanish media in Kiev (according to a translation of his remarks). “But every kilometer costs lives.”
Zelensky acknowledged that counterattack plans had slowed in recent months. “We stopped because we couldn’t move forward,” he said. “Advancing means losing men, and we don’t have artillery.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint news conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss Russia in Kiev, Ukraine, June 28, 2023 Attack on Ukraine.
Alina Smutko | Reuters
He was quoted by RTVE in Spain as saying that Ukraine was “very cautious in this regard” and that he would opt for a longer period if it meant losing fewer people. RTVE quoted him as saying: “Between time and human beings, human beings are the most important.”
Zelensky’s remarks came a day after the arrival of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus, where he ordered top military commanders under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko to Strengthening the northern military sector, the agreement ended the mutiny of Russian mercenaries.
According to Russian media reports, Prigozhin’s Wagner Group may establish a new base at a vacant military base near the town of Asipovich, about 90 kilometers (50 miles) from the Belarusian capital Minsk.
After pushing Russian troops out of its northern regions last year, Ukraine has taken steps to bolster its border defenses with close Russian ally Belarus.
Zelenskiy said Friday’s meeting with military commanders discussed the situation in other front-line areas, the supply of artillery and shells, and the offensive by Ukrainian forces against Russian forces.
“Ukraine is fighting for its life,” Milley said in Washington. “We are helping them as much as we can. But at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are going through minefields and into trenches” against Russia’s much larger army.