As his forces continue heavy fighting with Russian troops in the country’s east, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said more time is needed for a counterstrike.
“It is unacceptable to launch an attack now because too many lives will be lost,” he told the BBC on Thursday.
He also added: “We can move forward with what we have now and we will succeed … but we will lose a lot of lives, so I think this is unacceptable”, adding: “So we need to wait, we still need more time.”
Preparation completed
The statements came as Ukrainian ground forces had previously confirmed the completion of preparations for a spring offensive that had been talked about for months but indicated they were waiting for a political decision.
Moreover, a few weeks ago, the start of this counterattack was expected.
Over the past period, Kyiv has stepped up its demands for its Western allies to step up and speed up the sending of military aid to launch an offensive.
Russian mines
Although over the past year and a half, Ukraine has received advanced weapons from the West, including tanks and armored vehicles, in addition to Western military training for its forces.
At the same time, the Kremlin forces entrenched themselves in the eastern Ukrainian regions, with multi-level defense lines, the depth of which reaches twenty kilometers.
So Kyiv’s counterattack is likely to run into anti-tank minefields and trenches, as well as other obstacles.
With the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war on February 24, 2022, Kyiv pledged to restore all territories controlled by Russia, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. his strength.
