US military command comments on Ukrainian counteroffensive
According to experts, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are still using a small share of reserves and conducting reconnaissance by combat
Ukraine is gradually succeeding in its counteroffensive, said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. However, the cost of the counteroffensive is likely to be high, he added.
Source. He said this in a comment to Reuters.
"Ukraine has started to advance, and they are gradually moving forward. This is a very difficult battle. It is very brutal, and it will take a long time, and the price will be high," the general said.
Milley emphasized that the Ukrainian army has a good quality of officers and high morale, which is not the case with the russian army.
"Their leaders do not always act in a coordinated manner, the morale of their troops is low, and they are sitting in defensive positions. Many of them do not even understand why they are there," he said.
The American general is participating in a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday, which will be attended by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Earlier, the BBC quoted Western officials as saying that Ukraine's counteroffensive was slow and difficult due to the russian army's "maneuverable defensive approach." The interlocutors of the publication said that the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already "cost a lot". However, according to them, it is too early to talk about the effectiveness of Ukraine's offensive.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces claim their first successes. In particular, the Ukrainian army announced that it had managed to advance 1 km in the area of Vuhledar. Prior to that, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that in 10 days the troops had managed to advance near Bakhmut in the east. According to her, the Ukrainian Armed Forces recaptured seven settlements and about 90 square kilometers.
At the same time, it was reported that during the first week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost at least 17 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and four Leopard tanks.
At the same time, the Office of the President of Ukraine stated on June 15 that the counteroffensive had not even begun yet. The troops are conducting offensive actions to identify weaknesses in the defense of the russian army, said Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the office.
A source in one of the European intelligence agencies told The Washington Post the same thing earlier. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are still using a small share of reserves, conducting reconnaissance by combat and not launching a major attack.
Background. The day before, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized that no one expected Ukraine's offensive to take place without losses.
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