Putin repeats that the Ukrainian counter-attack is “unsuccessful” while Kiev acknowledges difficulties in advancing due to mines.
ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, admitted that the minefields slow down the counter-offensive to recapture Russian-occupied areas. According to his data, the Moscow army “mined about 200 thousand square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.” At the beginning of the month, British intelligence had already confirmed that “the Russian Federation is actively using anti-tank mines as part of its tactics (…) The density of fields planted with these IEDs is enormous.”
On Sunday, the American Washington Post returned to the matter, citing the Ukrainian military itself, which confirmed that their units had to adjust offensive tactics. Instead of penetrating the Russian defenses with NATO-supplied armor and tanks, they are forced to advance on foot.
A strip of 5 to 16 kilometers in front of the Russian positions is littered with mines, as Ukrainian forces wasted time preparing a counterattack while waiting to receive the necessary weapons from the West. The Washington Post further wrote, before the counterattackUkraine received less than 15% of the equipment needed for demining from its partners.
This situation has encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to brag about his “Tournaments” From the Russian soldiers and the assertion that “all the enemy’s attempts to break through our defenses, the task that they set themselves before using strategic reserves, were unsuccessful throughout the period of their counterattack.”
Russian attack
He spoke about this in an interview with the Russian public channel Rossiya 1 and added that “unexpectedly for the enemy, our forces resume the offensive in some areas and seize the most advantageous heights.” Asked about the future targets of Russia’s offensive, Putin said, “I’ll answer that behind the scenes, when the cameras are off,” a phrase that caused some bewilderment among those who support the invasion of the neighboring country. Russia.
For her part, the Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister said, Anna Maliar On Sunday, he admitted on his Telegram channel that we are “on the defensive” in the Kharkiv region. According to his account, the Russians “are attacking Kobyansk for two days in a row (…) There are fierce clashes.” On this sector of the front, “the positions of the sides dynamically change several times during the day.” Malyar also noted that the Ukrainian forces are “gradually advancing” in the environment of Bakhmut along its southern flank, while “on the northern side we are trying to maintain our positions. The enemy is attacking.”
On the other hand, the governor of Sevastopol (Crimea), Mikhail Razvozhev I reported on a Ukrainian raid of eight drones on various points in the Gulf. Five of the unmanned vehicles were converted by means of electronic warfare, and three were shot down. Not only drones went on the attack, but also submarines, although, according to the governor, without causing significant damage.
Ukrainian attack
The governor of the Russian Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also reported a Ukrainian attack on the central market in the town of Chepekino, very close to the border with Ukraine, using Grad rocket launchers, according to him, a woman. He died. Soon after, Gladkov said, the town of Gorkovsky was bombed, damaging three homes and a gas pipeline, though there were no casualties.
The future of the grain export agreement, which expires on Monday, July 17, remains unclear. On Sunday morning, the last ship loaded with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa. Russia agreed to let her sail across the Black Sea at the end of June, and since then Moscow has not allowed other ships to pass. Putin said this weekend that the main goals of the agreement have not been achieved, as he sees that the grain does not reach the countries in need, and the conditions for exporting Russian fertilizers. “It has not yet materialized.”
US National Security Adviser, Jake SullivanHe indicated that his country is ready for the possibility of suspending the grain export agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United Nations, on Monday, after the end of its last extension. This agreement, an indirect agreement between the two countries, is considered one of the biggest diplomatic victories since the beginning of the conflict and key in delivering humanitarian aid to countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
