Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC on Monday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive was progressing more slowly than desired, commenting: "Some people believe it's a Hollywood movie and are waiting for the results now. It doesn't work that way. It's about human life."
Zelensky explained that the biggest difficulty is the extensive mines carried out by the Russians. He said the Russian military had mined about 200,<> square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, adding: "With all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield in the way we see fit."
Zelensky addresses attendees of the International Conference on Ukrainian Reconstruction, held on Wednesday in London, Photo: GettyImages
However, alongside the extensive mines, which make it difficult for infantry forces to advance, military analysts point to a series of other problems. One is fortified infantry defensive positions, tank obstacles and high readiness of artillery.
The second problem is that beyond the objective advantage that defenders have in fortified positions against the attackers, Russia is launching pinpoint attacks against the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Henry Schlottman, a former U.S. Army officer and open intelligence analyst, told the independent Russian website Agnestvo that this was causing a loss of momentum and turning the counteroffensive into a battle of attrition.
Ukrainian armored personnel repair a Leopard-2 tank in the Zaporizhzhia region, Photo: AP
The third problem for Kyiv is an improvement in Russian logistics. Now the Russians are unloading equipment and weapons out of range of HIMARS rocket artillery systems, though still threatened by missiles like the Storm Duo.
Ukrainian soldiers on a Grad launcher in the Donetsk region, photo: Reuters
The fourth problem is the Russians' advantage in the air. According to British intelligence, Russia has delivered Ka-52 attack helicopters to the line of contact, which hit tanks and columns of Ukrainian soldiers advancing through the fields.
On the other hand, analysts in Kyiv say that what has happened so far is still the exploratory phase, and that the counteroffensive is advancing at an expected pace. Ukraine has so far liberated 8 villages for a total of 113 square kilometers.
Also, while Russia has already transferred reserves from the Kherson region, Ukraine has not yet been required to activate its reserves. It is estimated that so far only 15% of all the forces prepared by Kyiv for the counteroffensive are participating in the campaign. The rest are probably waiting for the defensive lines to break through in order to consolidate and deepen the achievement, if and when it occurs. However, last week Dr Jack Watling of the Royal Institute for Security Studies commented that "early declarations of failure or achievements should be avoided."
Putin at a reception with graduates of Kremlin military academies, Photo: AP
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at a reception at the Kremlin that "since the beginning of the counteroffensive, Russia has destroyed 245 tanks and something like 678 Ukrainian armored personnel carriers." But Project Oryx, which meticulously maps losses on both sides, has added only 174 vehicles hit on the Ukrainian side since the counteroffensive began, including 25 tanks and 46 armored vehicles. During the same period, Russia lost 146 units, including 37 tanks and 60 armored vehicles.
According to the project, since the beginning of the war, Russia has lost 2,048 tanks and 3,661 armored vehicles, while Ukraine – 539 tanks and 1,202 armored vehicles.
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