Russia Is "Running Out of Steam" As Ukraine Takes Initiative On Most Fronts

Multiple sources in Ukraine and NATO are reporting that Russian forces appear to be running out of steam and that Ukrainian troops have the initiative around Bakhmut in the east and in heavily defended areas of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south. JL 

New Voice of Ukraine reports:

On the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson axes, the enemy is focusing its main efforts on preventing the further advance of Ukrainian troops. At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct offensive operations on the Melitopol and Berdyansk axes, consolidate their positions. Ukrainian forces have liberated over 30 square kilometers of territory from Russian invaders in the Bakhmut direction and nearly 180 square kilometers in the south.“Basically, the entire initiative is currently on our side.”

On the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson axes, the enemy is focusing its main efforts on preventing the further advance of Ukrainian troops. Russians conducted airstrikes in the areas of Novodarivka, Mala Tokmachka, and Stepove in Zaporizhzhya Oblast. The aggressor shelled more than 15 settlements, including Malynivka, Hulyaypole, Charivne in Zaporizhzhya Oblast; Dudchany, Kozatske, Lvove, Ivanivka, Antonivka, Berehove, Kizomys, Rozlyv in Kherson Oblast, as well as the city of Kherson.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct offensive operations on the Melitopol and Berdyansk axes, consolidate their positions, and carry out counter-battery operations

“Basically, the entire initiative is currently on our side,” he explained.

“This is crucial for our partners, especially concerning military matters. They comprehend all the challenges associated with changes and other issues, and there is a constant exchange of information with our allies, consultations on this matter.”

 

A Russian offensive near Kupyansk was described by Havrylov as an “audacious attempt” to divert Ukrainian forces from other directions. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Armed Forces are making daily advances, recapturing territory both by short distances and larger areas.

 

“Somewhere by 100 meters, somewhere by a kilometer,” the deputy defense minister said.

“Every day, we reclaim our territory, we chip away at the first and second lines of defense where Russia managed to build something.”

The deputy minister also stated that everyone understands that Ukraine has not yet fully utilized its resources and added that there are “no doubts” about continued aid from Ukraine’s partners, and Ukraine’s achievements in the counter-offensive so far.

He also addressed expectations for faster progress.

“Understandably, for people sitting in warm rooms, browsing the Internet, and watching television, they would want everything to happen faster,” he said.

“But the reality is that we must consider what is happening on the ground.”

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Ukraine’s counteroffensive: the latest

On July 16, the Armed Forces of Ukraine occupied the northern part of the village of Staromykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast, with enemy attempts to regain their lost positions proving unsuccessful.

 

Additionally, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar stated on July 17 that Ukrainian forces had liberated over 30 square kilometers of territory from Russian invaders in the Bakhmut direction and nearly 180 square kilometers in the south.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that progress after the start of the Ukrainian offensive has been “slower than desired” but reaffirmed the country’s commitment to continue moving forward.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ efforts were commended by Chief of the General Staff, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who expressed anger at remarks claiming the counterattack was progressing slower than expected. Zaluzhnyi emphasized that every meter freed by Ukrainian troops came “at the cost of blood.”

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General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, remarked that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a challenging and brutal battle.