Ukraine war
Zelenskyj on counter-offensive – Not a “Hollywood film”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Russian minefields make it difficult for Ukrainian troops to advance. photo
© Andreea Alexandru/AP/dpa
Around two weeks ago, Ukraine launched its long-awaited counter-offensive. However, the advance is “slower than desired,” says the Ukrainian president.
With a view to the ongoing counter-offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again dampened expectations of a speedy liberation of all occupied territories. “Some people think this is a Hollywood film and are now expecting results. But it’s not like that,” Zelenskyi told the British broadcaster BBC. “What is at stake are human lives.”
Overall, the advance is “slower than desired,” said the Ukrainian head of state, obviously also in view of the expectations of others. This was not clear from the BBC report – the broadcaster only published excerpts from the interview with Zelenskyj. “Whatever some may want, including attempts to pressure us – with all due respect, we will proceed as we see fit on the battlefield.”
Zelenskyy added that large Russian minefields made it difficult for Ukrainian troops to advance. A total of 200,000 square kilometers had been mined by the Russians.
The Ukrainian military meanwhile reported that their own soldiers were establishing themselves in newly reached positions in the south. General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalyov spoke of partial successes in some sections – without giving details. In eastern Ukraine, on the other hand, the Ukrainian troops are largely on the defensive. There was heavy fighting between Yampolivka and Shypylivka on the border between Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian war of aggression for almost 16 months. Including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, Russian troops currently occupy around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory. Around two weeks ago, the Ukrainian army launched its long-awaited counter-offensive to liberate occupied areas, also with the help of Western weapons.
Selenskyj, English Kovalyov, Ukrainian