Ukraine assured this Tuesday (13) that its forces continue to gain ground, shortly after the Russian president said Russia is “crushing” the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
“Violent offensive and defensive battles are taking place in the east and south of our country”wrote the head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zalujny, in publications on social networks, quoted by Agence France Presse. “We have a profit, we implement our plan and we move forward”he said.
Ukrainian forces are waging an ongoing counter-offensive in the south and east of the country, which Zelensky admitted on Monday was difficult but progress was being made.
According to Zelensky, the operation made it possible to regain control of seven locations taken by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive was made possible thanks to weapons from Ukraine’s western allies.
Vladimir Putin said this Tuesday (13) that his army is repulsing Ukraine’s counterattack, backing up his words from Monday.
“to lose [ucranianas] are approaching a level that can be described as catastrophic”said Vladimir Putin, quoted by Agence France Presse, referring to Russian losses “ten times smaller”.
The information released by the two sides about the course of the war cannot immediately be independently verified.
Russia invaded Ukraine, claiming it must “demilitarize and denazify” the neighboring country, according to goals announced by Putin on the day of the operation’s launch, February 24, 2022.
The conflict plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The number of civilian and military casualties is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, have admitted it will be high.
Ukraine is counting on the support of Western allies, who are supplying Kiev with weapons to fight Russian troops.
The West has also imposed economic sanctions on Russia to try to reduce its ability to finance the war effort.
At the end of September, Putin decreed the annexation of the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia to the territory of the Russian Federation, having done the same with Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine and the international community in general do not recognize Russian sovereignty in the five annexed regions.
Kiev has demanded Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory as one of the conditions for any peace talks, but Moscow has replied that Ukrainians must accept the new reality.
Source: DN
