KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine has expressed its frustration at leaks from Western officials suggesting that its counteroffensive against Russia is progressing too slowly. In response, Ukraine urged critics to “shut up,” emphasizing the sacrifices made by Ukrainian soldiers on a daily basis. Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba stated, “Criticising the slow pace of (the) counteroffensive equals … spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier.” Kuleba made these remarks during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain.
Despite the use of Western military equipment amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, Ukraine has recaptured only a few villages since launching its counteroffensive three months ago. Meanwhile, Russia’s main defenses remain intact, frustrating the expectations of some Western officials. Reports in prominent news organizations, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, blamed Ukraine’s strategy for the slow progress.
Moscow asserts that Ukraine’s campaign has already failed. Conversely, Ukrainian commanders argue that they are deliberately moving slowly to weaken Russia’s defenses and logistics before launching a full-scale attack. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg voiced support for Ukrainian commanders, stating that they have consistently exceeded expectations and emphasizing that it is ultimately the Ukrainians who must make decisions.
Ukraine’s forces have recently reached Russia’s main defensive lines after months of fighting through heavy minefields. They are currently advancing in the area between the villages of Novopokropivka and Verbove, searching for a way around dragon’s teeth, concrete pyramids that form part of Russia’s fortifications. A breakthrough in this area would test Russia’s deeper defenses, which Ukraine believes may be more vulnerable and less heavily fortified than the areas it has traversed thus far.
Ukraine rarely provides details of its offensive operations. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported unspecified successes near Novopokropivka, while Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced a “positive dynamic” near Bakhmut.
Ukraine has also increased drone attacks on targets within Russia and Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Russia reported overnight drone attacks in neighboring Bryansk region and claimed to have shot down a missile fired at occupied Crimea. These attacks have brought the war closer to Russian citizens, who have previously experienced countrywide airstrikes in Ukraine for the past 18 months.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy seemed to boast about the success of the drone attack on a military air base in Pskov, northern Russia, in an online post. While Ukraine’s Western allies generally forbid it from using weapons they supply to attack Russian territory, they acknowledge Ukraine’s right to carry out such attacks on military targets using its own weapons.
Russia is currently dealing with the aftermath of a mutiny two months ago by Wagner, a private army that played a major role in its winter offensive. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, and his main lieutenants were killed in an air crash last week. The Kremlin denied involvement in the crash. Dmitry Utkin, a neo-Nazi former military intelligence officer associated with Wagner, was buried near Moscow under heavy guard.
(Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
