Ukraine's counteroffensive progressing according to plan, AFU appropriately cautious - British Defence Ministr

The Ukrainian counteroffensive is progressing according to the plan, which was developed together with partners.

The UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Stephen Heappey stated this in an interview with The Telegraph.

Heappey dismissed German concerns and critical assessments that Ukraine's counteroffensive had allegedly slowed down.

The Minister noted that Kyiv is “appropriately cautious” in refusing to send large numbers of people and Western weapons into dense Russian minefields.

He added that the Ukrainian military retains sufficient firepower to make a breakthrough at the right time.

“Ukraine is meeting our expectations at the moment. They are broadly delivering the plan that they worked out with us, and the Americans and others, over the last winter. This is not a Hollywood movie. There was not going to be a moment when the tanks started to roll, and the music started to play, and a war montage played out and then - at the end of it - victory by September,” Heappey emphasized.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Armed Forces are attacking on three axes. They have advanced near Staromaiorske and attacked near Bakhmut.

Meanwhile, the German Ministry of Defense does not have at its disposal and cannot comment on a report criticizing the offensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the existence of which was reported by Bild.