Mining slow offensive
Selenskyj: Advance in the south, in the east on the defensive
6/22/2023, 7:31 am
The Ukrainian President Zelenskyj is pleased with the successes at the front, even if things are not going as well as hoped. There will be no rapid pushing back of Russian troops.
Two weeks after the start of Ukraine’s offensive, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed progress on the front lines. “We’re moving forward in the South,” he said in his daily video address. He admitted heavy fighting, but everywhere – including in the east, where the Ukrainian troops are on the defensive – the enemy is being destroyed, he said.
Russian troops attacked the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region to the east. Four people were injured, including a child, according to the head of the city’s military administration. Deputy Defense Minister Malyar stated that Ukrainian forces are advancing south towards the city of Melitopol and towards Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov.
Map: Ukraine’s counter-offensive meets with great resistance.
Only a short time before, the Ukrainian head of state had dampened public expectations of the Ukrainian offensive. In a BBC interview broadcast on Wednesday, he admitted that the offensive was progressing “slower than desired”. “Some people think this is a Hollywood film and are now expecting results. But it’s not like that,” he told the British broadcaster. “What is at stake are human lives.”
Selenskyj also attributed the small gains in terrain to the large-scale mining of the area by Russian troops. Therefore, a careful approach is necessary in order not to endanger the lives of the soldiers unnecessarily.
In his most recent video message, Zelenskyj announced mainly positive news. In addition to the unspecified progress on the front, the President also addressed the reconstruction conference for Ukraine in London and the new EU sanctions package against Russia. At the conference, Ukraine not only received state aid, but also commitments from the private sector to participate in the sustainable development of the country.
Zelenskyy praised the EU sanctions package as important to further isolate Russia “as long as Russia’s main export commodity is evil and death”. The priority now is to cut off ways to circumvent the previous sanctions, according to the Ukrainian head of state.