Ukraine Offensive 'Slower Than Desired', Zelenskiy Says; Putin Sees 'Lull'

U. S. News ^ | June 21, 2023

[McGruff]

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was quoted on Wednesday as saying progress in Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces was "slower than desired", but that Kyiv would not be pressured into speeding it up.

"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," Britain's BBC quoted him as saying in an interview to be broadcast later in the day. "What's at stake is people's lives."

His adversary, Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow had observed a "lull" in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began early this month. Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kyiv understood it had "no chance", Putin said in televised remarks.

[McGruff]

After a flurry of early gains, Kyiv has claimed to have captured only one additional village over the past week, the hamlet of Pyatikhatky. Officials said on Wednesday forces in the south were mostly consolidating earlier gains, while troops in the east were holding off Russian attacks.

“They had partial success over the past day, they have consolidated at the boundaries that were reached and they have evened up the front line,” Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said.

Zelenskiy’s interview with Britain’s public broadcaster was timed to coincide with a conference in London where allies were due to pledge billions of dollars in economic and reconstruction aid.

[McGruff]

Not a movie?

[ConservativeInPA]

A lull is a euphemism for grift - gimme more money.

[Mariner]

By “respecting the lives” of its soldiers, it will fail.

And they cannot admit failure.

I don’t believe they ever intended a broad full-power push into the Russian defenses. And into Russian air superiority.

It was all a bullshit story.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "timed to coincide with a conference in London where allies were due to pledge billions of dollars in economic and reconstruction aid"

Therein lies the real game, while conscripts with piss-poor training are being thrown into battle. I suspect a couple of decades from now and in a very different world in that time, the historians will not be cheering "white hat versus black hat" themes, but rather tracing enormous corruption and profit taking on the backs of the dead.

[PGR88]

Putin Sees 'Lull'

Putin sees LOL.

[mac_truck]

The slow grind focused on taking Bahkmut over the winter is paying dividends today for Russia.

[Rdct29]

I am seeing stories about the Ukrainians digging up the bodies of dead soldiers to make room for the soldiers killed in their big offensive. Of course Nato promised to send a few billion dollars they don't have to keep the Ukrainians dying in the muddy fields. It's fitting that a documentary about the battle of Stalingrad just came on YouTube TV. There will come a time when Russia feels it has weakened the Ukrainian military enough to launch their own offensive. Unfortunately thousands more Ukrainian men will have to suffer and die before that happens.

[ansel12]

What do you think that photo is from?

[caww]

Why wouldn't Zelensky's people think it's a Hollywood Movie - guess who the leading man is!

[Allegra]

”Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best," he added,

…but give me more money.”

[PAR35]

There was just a slight misunderstanding in the Western media about the Spring offensive. It was planned for the Spring, 2024, not 2023 as many wrongly assumed. So everything is still going as scheduled. 2023 was just a shaping exercise.

[ganeemead]

Garland Nixon claims that by proceeding as slowly/cautiously as they are, Russians are dialing up the pain in the West until something breaks and most western governments go down...