Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, declared on Friday, June 9, that although Kiev’s forces have “begun” their massive counteroffensive on the front, they have not yet “achieved their goals.”
A journalist from Russian state television uploaded a video of Putin saying, “We can say, in full, that the offensive has begun, which is evidenced by the use of Ukraine’s strategic reserves,” on Telegram.
He claims that despite five days of warfare, “the Ukrainian forces have not achieved their goal on any front,” according to AFP.
Putin said, “All counteroffensive efforts have so far failed, but the Ukrainian regime still has offensive potential,” adding that Russia’s response “will be based on that observation.”
The Ukrainian General Staff has been preparing a significant counteroffensive for months, and the Russian military has recently claimed fierce combat in southern Ukraine, claiming to have repulsed multiple Ukrainian advances.
The conflict appears to be less intense according to Ukrainian authorities, whose army is being outfitted with cutting-edge Western weapons.
The authorities continue to keep their plan of action a secret.