10:00 am
US army general: ‘Counteroffensive will take a very long time and become extremely bloody’
Ukraine’s counter-offensive is progressing slowly, but steadily. Soldiers make their way through the minefieldssays dUS Army General Mark Milley.
The rather slow pace does not surprise him. “It’s about 500 to 2,000 meters of ground gained per day. War on paper is different from war in reality. Real people die there. They are on the front lines and in vehicles. Real bodies being torn apart by explosives,” he told the National Press Club in Washington.
“I had said before that this would take six, eight or ten weeks. It will take a long time and it will be very bloody, nobody has any illusions about that.” Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the counter-offensive was “slower than desired.”
02:06
CIA gained insight into Ukrainian strategy during secret visit
CIA director William J. Burns gained insight into Ukraine’s military strategy during a secret visit to Ukraine in June. In the ambitious plan, Kiev wants to force Moscow into new peace talks by retaking large areas of territory. That should happen before the fall, the head of US intelligence was told. That reports the American newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.
Military planners in Kyiv have expressed optimism to Burns about winning back a significant amount of territory by the fall: pushing further into eastern Ukraine and advancing artillery to the Crimean border to force the Russians to negotiations. So say three sources familiar with Kiev’s military planning.
“Russia will only negotiate if it feels threatened,” a senior Ukrainian official said.
Burns’ trip, previously unreported, included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine’s top intelligence officials. The visit came at a critical moment in the conflict, now the Ukrainian forces struggle to capitalize on their long-awaited counter-offensive. But they say most of their Western-trained and equipped assault brigades have yet to be deployed.
00:09
“Russian security service has order to kill Wagner boss”
The Russian intelligence service (FSB) has been ordered to assassinate Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, claims. “Whether they will succeed? Only time will tell”, it sounds.
According to Budanov, “possible assassinations won’t happen anytime soon anyway” because FSB should “take time to figure out how best to approach Prigozhin.” “Significant question marks also remain. Will they succeed? Will they have the courage to carry out that order?” said Budanov.