The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces confirmed for the first time that the main forces of the counteroffensive have not yet engaged Russia, and General Oleksandr Syrsky warned the Kremlin that he is “hunting” for a deadly weakness in their defense lines. , informs Guardian.

In recent days, since the beginning of the counteroffensive in Ukraine, it has often been said that “the main phase of the counteroffensive is still ahead,” and analysts have admitted that the Ukrainian offensive is progressing slowly in some areas.

Moreover, experts at the Institute for the Study of War said in an analysis Thursday that the lower-than-expected overall pace of Ukrainian counteroffensive operations is not a reflection of Ukraine’s broader offensive capabilities, and Ukrainian forces are likely to succeed in creating the conditions for future major efforts

Instead, one of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s advisers, Mykhailo Podolyak, says that “the Ukrainian offensive against the Russian invasion forces is ‘not a new season of the Netflix series.’

“Offensive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue in several directions. Combat operations to prepare the battlefield are ongoing,” he added.

In addition to the sometimes vague statements of the Ukrainians, in an interview from a military base in the east of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Sirsky talked about the stress and difficulties of combat operations, when Moscow has been launching its own offensive actions in recent days.

Ukraine “hunts” for weak points in Russian defense

Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian General Staff predicted where Ukrainian forces would be most dangerous, but warned the Kremlin that it was “hunting” for the deadly weakness in their lines.

In fact, the long time during which Ukraine was preparing its counteroffensive left Russia time to strengthen its defenses.

Sirsky, who led Ukraine’s defense of Kyiv last spring and shocked the world with a counteroffensive that liberated vast swathes of northeastern Ukraine in the fall, said the world must be patient.

“Everyone wants to get a big win instantly and out of the blue,” he said.

“And we are like But we must be prepared that this process will take some time, because many forces have been accumulated by each side, many materials and many obstacles have been built.

I mean, our main forces have not yet entered the battle, and now we are looking, looking for weak points in the enemy’s defense,” – emphasizing that the most important thing is ahead from now on.

Russia launched an offensive in several places, in particular in Kupyansk to the northeast of Kharkiv and Lyman to the east.

Syrskyi, 57, said there was “heavy fighting” in Serebryan Forest near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast as Russia moved key forces from the south.

“It’s difficult, tense,” he said of the military situation in the east. “The Russians are trying to seize the initiative. Therefore, the situation is really difficult.”

He added: “We must not underestimate the enemy. The enemy anticipated and anticipates the most dangerous directions of our movement and is building a powerful defense on them, which is quite difficult to break through.”

But Syrskyi said the morale and training of his troops gave him confidence that Ukrainian forces would find a loophole and exploit it.

He said: “In short, it is an ongoing ‘process’. Everyone draws their own conclusions, and no one wants to be cheated twice.”

12 new brigades, most of which are equipped by NATO allies

The General Staff of Ukraine formed 12 new brigades for the long-awaited counteroffensive, 9 of which are equipped by NATO allies. Only three of them are believed to have seen combat so far.

Progress in the past two weeks of fighting has been slow, with eight villages liberated and Vladimir Putin claiming he has inflicted heavy casualties on Ukrainian forces.

The general said he was not deterred by the fact that he was outnumbered by the estimated 400,000 Russian troops on Ukrainian soil. “We have never fought with a smaller number of enemies, they have always outnumbered us,” he said, adding that he would not unnecessarily put the lives of Ukrainians at risk.