Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed this weekend that Ukraine is ready for a counter-offensive to recapture territory seized by Russian forces and warned of heavy casualties in the coming fight.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the leader of the Kyiv government said the long-rumored counter-offensive was coming soon. However, he warned that "a large number of soldiers will die" in the attempt.
"We firmly believe that we will succeed," Zelenskyy told a dealer owned by Rupert Murdoch from Odessa, a southern port city. "I don't know how long it will take," he added. “To be honest, it could go in different ways, completely different. But we're going to do it and we're ready."
And Ukraine, which has been receiving weapons from NATO countries for months, has better motivated soldiers, according to him. "There is no room for weakness," he told the paper.
He did not give more details in the interview about when and where the counteroffensive might begin.
Russia first invaded Ukraine last February and quickly seized large parts of the country's eastern territory, although Moscow's forces have since stalled. Fighting has raged in the eastern town of Bakhmut in recent months as Ukrainian forces have tried to hold the town.
In that interview, meanwhile, Zelenskyy also argued that the 2024 election could produce an administration that might be reluctant to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. For example, former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party's front-runner, has said he wants a quick end to the war and has claimed the death toll is far higher than reported.
"In a situation like this, when there's support, you're afraid of change," Zelenskyy, who has previously publicly criticized Trump, told the WSJ. "And to be honest, when you mention a change in administration, I feel the same as any other person - you want change for the better, but it can also be the other way around."
He also offered speculation about what would happen if Russia invaded Ukraine if Trump were still in power. However, Trump has repeatedly argued that Moscow would not have made this attempt if he were in office.
Trump has stated on numerous occasions that if elected in 2024, he would end the Ukraine-Russia war within 24 hours. Last week, during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the former president said it was imperative that the war be stopped.
"I don't want the war to continue. And I'm going to stop that war — take my word for it — I'm going to stop that war within 24 hours," Trump said. "It's a mess right now, now they're attacking Kiev and they're attacking all sorts of things that shouldn't have been hit." Earth is decimated.”
"By the way, there are a lot more deaths than they're reporting," he continued. “When they say, 'Nine apartment buildings were hit and two people were injured' - no, no, hundreds of people died. The numbers are very different from what they tell you.”
Combat update
Russia's military said on Sunday it had attacked Ukrainian airports overnight, claiming radar equipment, ammunition depots and aircraft owned by Kiev were damaged or destroyed.
The strike involved "long-range precision-guided air-launched weapons" and hit its target, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement to state-backed media on Sunday. "Command posts, radar equipment, Ukrainian aviation equipment and storage areas with weapons and ammunition were hit," the statement said.
A group of pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters involved in recent incursions into Russia's Belgorod border region said on Sunday they had captured two Russian soldiers and offered them in exchange for a meeting with the regional governor. The Legion of Freedom of Russia and the Russian Volunteer Corps reported on fighting in the region in recent days as Kiev prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Kremlin forces in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
The Epoch Times was unable to independently verify the reports. In a video on Freedom of Russia's Telegram channel, a man identifying himself as the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps said he would hand over two captives to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov if he met the fighters in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka by 5 o'clock. afternoon local time). The video showed two captives, one of whom appeared to be injured and lying on an operating table.
"Today until 5:00 p.m. you have the opportunity to communicate without weapons and take home two Russian citizens, ordinary soldiers, whom you and your political leadership sent to slaughter," said a joint statement released with the video, Reuters reported. .
Russian forces last month declared victory in the eastern city of Bakhmut after the longest and deadliest battle since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told the Associated Press over the weekend that Russia is trying to create an appearance of calm around Bakhmut, but in reality artillery shelling continues at levels similar to those at the height of the battle to capture the city. According to her, the fight is developing into a new phase.
