War in Ukraine: for Putin, the counterattack on Kyiv is not “successful”

The statement is necessarily biased. Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian army’s counter-offensive launched in June failed in the face of resistance from Russian defenses in eastern and southern Ukraine.

“All attempts by the enemy to break through our defenses (…), in particular with the use of strategic reserves, during the entire period of the offensive were unsuccessful. The enemy did not succeed,” the Russian president said.

Speaking in an interview with TV channel Rossiya-1, aired on Sunday, he assessed the situation for Russian troops at the front as “positive.” “Our troops are acting heroically. Unexpectedly for the enemy, they even go on the offensive in some areas and seize more advantageous positions,” the Russian leader said.

On Friday, Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak acknowledged that Kyiv’s counteroffensive was “not moving as fast,” assuring that Western allies were not pressuring Kyiv on the issue.

On Friday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened his army’s top command. “We all need to be very clear, as clear as possible, that the Russian forces in our southern and eastern territories are doing everything possible to stop our soldiers,” he later said in his video.daily, adding that “every kilometer we we pass, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude.”

“We are stronger when we are united”

“The world believes in Ukraine. The world is inspired by our courage, inspired by our heroes. And most importantly, Ukrainians believe in Ukraine, Ukrainians see what we are all capable of when we are together. We are strongest when we are united,” the president tweeted Sunday afternoon.

Backed by heavy Western weapons, the Ukrainian counter-offensive, launched in June, focused on the capture of villages in the southeast, towards the Sea of ​​Azov, and areas near the eastern city of Bakhmut (Donetsk), captured by Russian troops in May after several months of bloody fighting. Russian troops have built up strong defenses, including huge minefields, and they still have enough firepower to hit Ukrainian forces.

In its daily report on Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said its forces had repulsed 16 Ukrainian attacks on the eastern front, including near the long-disputed town of Marinka and in the strategic village of Klishchevka, near the southern edge of Bakhmut. Since then, the lines have changed very little.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian General Staff said that offensive operations in the direction of Melitopol and Berdyansk, two Russian-occupied cities in southern Ukraine, were continuing. Ukrainian forces hope to cut a land bridge erected by Russian forces across the 2014-annexed Crimean peninsula through which their logistics pass.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the Russian defense minister told him that Russian troops had managed to break through 1.5 km in depth on the front near Liman in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.