KYIV-Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “moving forward” after Kyiv made some headway in its campaign to recapture territory seized by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
“Ukrainian forces are moving forward. Despite everything and no matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important thing. We are on the move,” Zelenksy said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It is unclear if Zelensky is referring to a specific official or comment, but he appears to be trying to reverse the narrative that Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive has, to date, delivered poorer-than-expected results. Some media outlets carried reports citing Western officials saying Ukraine had spread its troops too thinly.
After much anticipation, the counteroffensive formally got underway in mid-June. Gains, though, have been hard won and there have been no captures of major settlements as Kyiv’s troops encountered well-defended Russian lines. Despite continued sluggish progress, Kyiv said in mid-July it felt no pressure for quick results. By the end of the month, Ukraine had committed more troops to the southeast of the country, a sign that it had identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines. That decision appears to be yielding some results. In recent days, the Ukrainian military has notched victories in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, this week penetrating the “first line” of Russian defenses. Ukraine’s military said on Saturday it was consolidating its positions there and conducting counter-battery fire near Robotyne, a strategically located village in Zaporizhzhia that Ukrainian troops secured last week.