Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine: The "biggest blow" in Kiev's military campaign is yet to come
Ukraine's deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said on Monday that the "biggest blow" in Kiev's military campaign is yet to come, but she admitted that the operation is difficult because Russia is doing everything it can to stop the offensive, reports Agerpres.ro .
"The ongoing operation has several objectives and the army is carrying out these tasks," Maliar said on Telegram. The military “moves as it must move. And the biggest blow is yet to come."
After months of acquiring Western weaponry, receiving training and preparations, Ukraine began the first stage of a counteroffensive two weeks ago to retake Russian-held areas that make up about a fifth of its territory.
The Ukrainian military, which has maintained strict silence on the campaign for more than a week, has since claimed small victories, reporting on Monday that it had liberated several settlements.
Late last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the counteroffensive had not achieved any significant success, but some Russian military officials and bloggers say Ukraine has made small gains at the cost of huge troop and equipment losses.
According to an assessment by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, the Ukrainian military has so far not lost any ground in the ongoing counter-offensive against the Russian occupiers.
"In some areas, our fighters are advancing, in some areas they are defending their positions and resisting the attacks of the occupiers and intensified attacks," President Zelenskiy said in his speech on Monday evening. "We have no lost positions. Only liberated," he promised them again to his compatriots that the Ukrainian flag will eventually be flown in all the currently occupied regions in the south and east of the country.
