- Tom Paul
- BBC News
5 hours ago
The Russian soldiers were not ready for the Ukrainian resistance
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the war in Ukraine is not going as planned by Russia, and that its attempt to control the eastern Donbass region has failed.
Stoltenberg added that Ukraine could win the war.
The British Ministry of Defense estimates that Russia has lost a third of its ground combat forces since the war began in February.
The Russian invasion was hampered by fierce Ukrainian resistance and some logistical difficulties.
It seems that Russia’s initial goal was to invade Ukraine and overthrow the government, but Russian forces eventually withdrew from areas around the capital, Kyiv, after failing to seize it, and concentrated their efforts since mid-April on two provinces in the east of the country.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, officials say that Russian forces have withdrawn to the border area and that citizens are beginning to return to the city.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine is not going as Moscow wants. They failed to take Kyiv and now they are withdrawing from the frustration of Kharkiv, and their biggest offensive on Donbass has stopped. Russia is not achieving its strategic goals,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg was speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Another consequence of the Russian invasion is that NATO will gain new members, such as Ukraine and Sweden.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees NATO as a threat to Russia, and one of the goals of the invasion of Ukraine was to prevent it from joining the alliance.
The Defense Ministry’s estimates of Russian casualties include people killed or wounded and equipment destroyed or captured by Ukrainian forces.
The Defense Ministry said the attack on Donbass had lost momentum and was far behind schedule.
She stated that the morale of the Russian army is low, as well as the combat capabilities.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Ukraine’s allies should continue its military support to help it “beat Russia”.
And the Ukrainian army on the ground is launching counterattacks in the city of Izyum, Governor Oleh Snegopov said, which could complicate Russia’s plan to seize Donbass.
Ukraine has also admitted that there have been setbacks and the progress of Russian forces in more than one region.
Military pressure continued on the Ukrainian forces in Mariupol with the continuation of the Russian bombing of steel factories. Inside video footage showed people playing chess and browsing websites on their phones.
In western Ukraine, the governor of the Lviv region said the missiles targeted military infrastructure.