Zelensky: Summer counteroffensive to pick up the pace

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that though Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive may seem slow now, it will pick up the pace, just like the operations in the fall.

“In the fall, we had counteroffensive actions, and it seemed that this was a slow process. But at some point, everyone saw how we rapidly began to advance. It will be the same now,” Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC published on June 22.  

Zelensky said that Ukraine estimates its counteroffensive as so far successful, however, there are many difficulties, such as the large-scale mining of the land.

“In any case, we are confident in the success of the counteroffensive,” he said.

Ukraine has been conducting an intensive military campaign in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts since June 5, having had limited success so far, with eight settlements reclaimed from Russian control.

President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC that battlefield progress had been "slower than desired,” adding the military campaign was not a “movie.”

"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," he said.