Ukraine's much-anticipated counter-offensive is still in its early days and the efficacy of the operation will be tested in the coming days. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that losing the counter-offensive could mean losing the war for Russia. Meanwhile, Russians are planning to conduct operations in the occupied Ukrainian territory in a bid to signal normalcy in the region.
While speaking about the counter-offensive in an interview with NBC News, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said“I cannot give you all the details. There are both offensive and defensive actions. Things look not bad. I would say it is generally positive but it's difficult. Our heroic people, our troops who are now at the front of the frontline are facing very tough resistance and you understand why.”
"Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say, actually means losing the war." the Ukrainian President added
According to Reuters, Ukrainian forces have advanced several kilometres along the Mokry Yali River, capturing territory that Russia has held since the early days of the invasion. The report added that bodies of Russian solider were lying in the streets of depopulated villages while Ukrainian troops claimed to kill 50 of their counterparts and capture 43 more.
The Ukrainian military also conducted its first full media briefing ever since the offensive began. Brigadier-General Oleksii Hromov claimed to have captured at least seven settlements and around 100 square kilometres of territory.
"We are ready to continue fighting to liberate our territory even with our bare hands," Hromov proclaimed
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the Ukrainian army is suffering 10 times more casualties than his forces while insisting that Moscow's goals remain unchanged.
In an effort to convey that the situation is stable, Moscow is planning to conduct elections in the territory it occupied in Ukraine. Russia election chief Ella Pamfilova recently said that both the Defence Ministry and Federal Security Service had concluded that it would be safe to conduct elections in September.
Moreover, African countries are sending a delegation to mediate the conflict between the two neighbours. The delegation includes Senegal's President Macky Sall, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Egypt's prime minister Mostafa Madbouly among others.
The African delegation will travel to Ukraine on Friday and subsequently travel to Russia the next day. The Reuters report claims that the delegation could suggest a series of ‘confidence building measures’ during their initial interactions.
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