Ukraine's offensive not as fast as we would like - Syrskyi

The Ukrainian offensive is slower than many had hoped. It is almost impossible to get quick results, said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, July 18.

Syrskyi said that Ukraine would like to get very quick results of the offensive, but in fact this is almost impossible. According to him, in the east, as in the south, the territory is saturated with mines and defensive barriers, and the Russian-occupation troops of the aggressor state of Russia have many strongholds.

"The long-awaited Ukrainian offensive on several fronts, since the beginning of which more than a month has passed, is slower than many hoped. Therefore, our advance really does not go as fast as we would like," said Syrskyi.

But the general believes that the unity of military leadership and the confidence of soldiers in each other is a strength of the Ukrainian army in front of the occupiers, which is in sharp contrast to the Russian military hierarchy, the BBC reports.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, as of July 18, Russia's losses in the war against Ukraine exceeded 239,000 soldiers. Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian defenders have eliminated 710 more Russian invaders.

A spokesman for the press center of the Tavria operational and strategic group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Shershen said that the Defense Forces of Ukraine are continuing the counteroffensive in the south of the Donetsk Region.

At the same time, in the Lyman-Kupiansk direction, the Russian occupiers are trying to seize the initiative.