Ukraine trying to end battlefield stalemate in what may be start of counteroffensive
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00:00 Ukraine is ready for a long-awaited counter-offensive, according to Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
00:06 "We received enough weapons to begin the counter-offensive.
00:10 When you go on the counter-offensive, one thing is to have enough of weapons to begin
00:15 it but another thing is to ensure sustainability of supplies in order to be able to continue
00:20 as long as it is needed."
00:23 Speaking in Kiev on Monday, Kuleba did not say whether the counter-offensive had already
00:28 begun.
00:29 According to him, when it starts is irrelevant, all that matters is that it ends in Ukrainian
00:34 victory.
00:35 In a post on social media the same day, Ukraine's deputy defence minister said that Ukrainian
00:40 forces have made advances in four villages around the eastern city of Bakhmut.
00:46 President Zelensky praised Ukrainian fighters for the reported advances.
00:50 "Well done warriors in Bakhmut.
00:55 You see how hysterically Russia reacts to any step we take there, all positions we take.
01:01 The enemy knows that Ukraine will win, they see it, they feel it thanks to your hits,
01:06 warriors, particularly in the Donetsk region.
01:09 Thank you for that."
01:11 Meanwhile, Russia's military said it thwarted a fresh attack by Ukrainian forces in the
01:16 Donetsk region on Monday, inflicting heavy casualties.
01:20 It also claimed that 28 tanks, including eight German-made Leopards, were destroyed.
01:26 It comes a day after Moscow said a large-scale Ukrainian offensive in the region had been
01:31 pushed back on Sunday.
01:33 According to the latest Russian defence ministry statement, total Ukrainian losses amounted
01:38 to 1,500 troops.
01:41 Whether a Ukrainian push has begun or not, fighting is currently raging in several sections
01:46 of the front line, signalling that the long-expected counter-offensive could be getting underway.
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