War against Ukraine
NATO admiral: Russia is losing ground every day
In Odessa, burned trucks remain on the road after Russian drone strikes. photo
© —/Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office/AP/dpa
A few months ago, Ukraine began a counteroffensive against the Russian attackers. We are making progress, but the price is high, says NATO Admiral Rob Bauer.
The Ukrainian military is pushing Russian troops in its counteroffensive, according to NATO Admiral Rob Bauer backs up around 200 to 300 meters every day. The Ukrainians paid a high price for this, there were many dead and injured, he said on Saturday at the annual conference of the NATO Military Committee in Oslo. “The Russians are losing 200, 300 meters every day,” said the Dutchman.
The reason why the offensive is not progressing faster is the enormous number of Russian mines. There are minefields for miles with five to six mines per square meter that are holding the Ukrainians back. “You literally have to crawl forward to get through.” He also contradicted the opinion that the Ukrainian advance was slow because there was a lack of ammunition.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than 18 months. A good three months ago, Kiev began a counteroffensive and wanted to break through the Russian defense lines, especially in the south of the country. Moscow currently controls around 100,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.