Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured that the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive, launched in June, has been unsuccessful in the face of resistance from Russian defenses in eastern and southern Ukraine.
“All the enemy’s attempts to break through our defenses were unsuccessful throughout the offensive. The enemy has not been successful,” Putin said in an interview with Rossia-1 television channel broadcast on Sunday.
The president also estimated that the situation was “positive” for the Russian forces deployed on the Ukrainian front.
“Our troops are acting heroically. And unexpectedly for the adversary, they are even going on the offensive in certain sectors and capturing more advantageous positions,” President Putin said.
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive last month, after amassing massive weapons from the West and bolstering its attack capabilities.
On Friday, however, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andrii Yermak, acknowledged that the operation was not going “so fast.”
The Kiev counter-offensive is progressing slowly against Russian troops who have had time to establish solid defenses, including mine-infested fields, and continue to have significant firepower available to attack the Ukrainian forces.
This Sunday, the Ukrainian General Staff affirmed that there were ongoing offensive operations in the direction of Melitopol and Berdyansk, two cities occupied by Russia in southern Ukraine.
Last Tuesday, the Russian Defense Minister claimed that his troops had managed to advance a kilometer and a half in a sector of the front located near Liman, in the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
