Putin says Ukrainian counteroffensive failed, Ukraine lost 26k troops
4 Min Read
The Russian President says the Russian forces have destroyed a record number of foreign vehicles in the past day in the course of the Ukraine war.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 23, 2023 (TASS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Sunday, during talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed.
"There is no [Ukrainian] counteroffensive," Lukashenko said.
"There is one, but it failed," Putin replied.
According to the Russian leader, the Ukrainian armed forces had lost more than 26,000 troops during the counteroffensive.
Lukashenko said the US was estimating Ukrainian losses since the start of the counteroffensive at 26,000 people.
"More… it's already more [than that]," Putin said, adding that foreign mercenaries were also suffering big losses in Ukraine "because of their foolishness."
"In any case, the citizens of countries whose governments send people to the conflict zone, the general public in these countries, should also know what is happening there. And we will inform these people so that they can assess the actions of their leaders," Putin explained.
In the same context, the Russian President highlighted that the Russian forces have destroyed a record number of foreign vehicles in the past day in the course of the Ukraine war.
Lukashenko said during the talks with Putin that, to his knowledge, over 15 Leopard tanks and more than 20 Bradley armored vehicles had been destroyed in a single battle.
"It is likely that so many foreign vehicles have never been destroyed in one day," Putin said.
He added that units fully equipped with foreign equipment have been operating on Ukraine's side.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Kiev's counteroffensive was about to "gain pace".
On Friday, White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, considered that it was premature to judge the outcome of Kiev's counteroffensive, adding that while losing "significant" soldiers, Ukrainian forces still have "substantial" reserves to deploy in combat.
Responding to a question on whether the "real counteroffensive is yet to come," Sullivan indicated that "there have already been significant amounts of casualties and deaths of Ukrainian fighters in this counteroffensive, so it is well underway. And it is hard going. And we said it would be hard going."
According to the US diplomat, Kiev possesses a "substantial amount of combat power that it has not yet committed to the fight" and is currently attempting to determine the best time "when it will have the maximum impact on the battlefield," echoing what Putin said in June, that Western countries seem to be determined to fight until the last Ukrainian.
"It is at that moment when they make that commitment that we will really see what the likely results of that counteroffensive will be," Sullivan said at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, DC, highlighting that the United States is in "close consultation with the Ukrainians on the conditions for that."
It is noteworthy that on Friday, Putin stressed that Western supporters of Kiev are disappointed with the results of Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia, pointing out that despite the supply of weapons and foreign mercenaries, the Ukrainian forces have not been successful in breaking through the Russian army's front lines.
Putin said the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered significant losses, and the supply of Western weapons and resources has not helped them recover, further emphasizing that further military aid from the West would only prolong the conflict.
Earlier this week, senior Pentagon officials claimed that it was too soon to declare Kiev's counteroffensive a "failure", claiming that the US had expected the operation to be bloody and drawn out.
According to The New York Times, Zelensky froze the counteroffensive to replenish ammunition after his forces lost up to 20% of weapons deployed in the operation in just two weeks.
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