Ukraine has engaged in a counterattack aimed at creating "chaos within the Russian military" by attacking the aggressor's supply lines deep within the occupied territories. said Volodymyr, a key adviser to the president. Zelensky.
Mykhailo Podolyak told The Guardian that in the "next two to three months" there will be a mysterious attack on a railroad junction and an air base in Crimea on Tuesday, as well as a Russian fighter jet attack last week. It said many more could be made, similar to the attacks in . Saky airfield on the peninsula
Russia said Tuesday's fire caused an explosion at an ammunition depot in Crimea's Dzhankoy district - an incident Podoljak said was the only way Crimea could , talking about warehouse explosions and the high risk of death for invaders and thieves.
Ukraine claims no responsibility for the attacks. Russian tourists panicked and fled Crimea. On Tuesday, queues were forming outside the railway station in Simferopol, the capital of the province.
Moscow's Defense Ministry said it was dealing with the sabotage incident and was taking "necessary measures" to prevent further episodes.
At the presidential palace in Kyiv, Podoljak said: It's causing chaos within their own power. "
This adviser, who is often called his third most powerful person in the country, said that Kyiv's approach would require Moscow to use blunt artillery forces to gain territory in the eastern Donbass region. said to be against its use. As Mariupol and Cheviero Donetsk to acquire territories.
"Thus, Russia has taught everyone that counterattacks require enormous manpower, like giant fists, and only go in one direction," he said. but "the Ukrainian counterattack looks very different. It does not use the tactics of the 60s and 70s of the last century."
But this statement shows that Ukraine is struggling to gather the men and military materiel needed to sustain a full-fledged counterattack. It can also be interpreted as acknowledging Usually against one he needs an advantage of 3 or more soldiers.
Instead, Ukraine cuts off Russian holdings of Kherson on the west bank of the Dnieper by damaging road and rail bridges using newly supplied Western rocket artillery. Tried. It is no longer possible for Russia to effectively resupply its forces.
Podoljak claims "50, 60, 80 or more" of his MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) on top of the existing arsenal of about 20, of which 16 of his MLRS His Himars mounted on a truck supplied by Three (tracked he M270) have come from the UK, and he has three more due, which advisers say are "very good."
Aided by long-range missiles supplied by the West, Podlyak said that Ukraine was "short of supplies and short of ammunition" that "kept the Russians out in the first months of the war." I will make you fight like this."
In the early stages of the conflict, unorganized Russian forces failed to capture Kyiv after the invading forces got stuck in a series of traffic jams on the roads leading into the city, leaving Ukrainian infantry and rebels to fight. Vulnerable to government power. tank weapon.
The presidential aide suggested last week's attack on an air force base could be the work of partisans, but as Moscow suggested shortly after the accident, it was an accident. Playfully dismissed any suggestion of the possibility.
Podlyak said if the Russians believed the explosion was the result of a discarded cigarette detonating an ammunition depot, they had "different physics." We anticipate repeated such attacks behind the lines in the future.
"I certainly agree with the view of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which predicts that there will be more incidents of this kind in the next few months. ' said Podoljak.
He also suggested that Ukraine sees the Crimean Bridge, which connects the occupied peninsula with mainland Russia, as a legitimate military target. “This is an illegal structure and the main gateway for supplying Russian troops in Crimea. Such objects should be destroyed,” he said.
Ukraine has refused to take public responsibility for the attack on Sarky Air Force Base, but has done so privately, with a series of Russian strategic targets attacked deep in the front lines. An incident occurred when
On Monday,Evgeny Prigoginewas speculated.He was a Russian businessman, reportedly associated with Wagner's private military company, who may have been injured or killed in a Ukrainian rocket attack in Donbass.
Photos released by Russian journalists of meetings with Wagner's mercenaries in eastern Ukraine made it easier to locate the base. And on Sunday, the Milonivska building came under fire fromUkrainian forces, probably from the Himar system.
Podlyak, who was a negotiator in peace negotiations in the early stages of the conflict, said there was no prospect of serious negotiations until Russia had experienced defeat on the battlefield. He said some unnamed European countries were "under the illusion" that the Kremlin might seek negotiations in good faith.
"A Russian's ears open only when a giant military bat hits a Russian's head," he said.
He praised Britain's role in helping Ukraine so far, surpassing that of the United States in some respects, and that strong support will continue even after Boris Johnson resigns as prime minister. said he expects "You've become a giant. It's hard to go back to being a midget," he said.
Podlyak said Johnson provided Zelensky with "personal and emotional support" on "the darkest day in Ukraine's history." He suggested that British contributions would be remembered for centuries.