Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said that a counteroffensive against Russian forces was under way, while declining to give specifics on his troops’ operations.
“Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine: at which stage I will not talk in detail,” Zelenskiy said, commenting after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kyiv’s operation was already failing.
Russia has reported thwarting Ukrainian attacks in the east and south.
Photo: AP
“It’s interesting what Putin said about our counteroffensive. It is important that Russia always feels this: that they do not have long left, in my opinion,” Zelenskiy said.
He added that he was in daily touch with military commanders and “everyone is positive now — tell that to Putin.”
Russia yesterday said that Ukraine had unsuccessfully attempted to attack its Priazovye naval ship with six high-speed drone boats while the vessel patrolled major natural gas pipelines in the Black Sea.
Ukraine attacked in the early hours yesterday about 300km southeast of Sevastopol, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, adding that all six drone boats were destroyed.
On Saturday, Kyiv’s forces conducted counteroffensive operations in at least four front-line areas, said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank.
“Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces have tactical advantages in conducting assaults at night due to Western-provided equipment with superior night optics systems,” ISW said.
To shore up that stockpile, Zelenskiy secured fresh pledges of military aid while meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend.
Trudeau and Zelenskiy hugged and used each other’s first names as the Canadian leader made his second unannounced visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded in February last year.
On Saturday, the Canadian leader said he would provide C$500 million (US$373 million) in fresh military assistance to Kyiv, and pledged Canada would be part of the multinational effort to train Ukraine’s fighter pilots.
Pledging C$10 million in flood relief, Trudeau also urged international organizations to come to the aid of those in Russian-occupied territories after flooding from the breached Kakhovka dam forced thousands to flee their homes and sparked fears of humanitarian and environmental disasters.
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