Russia has more than 200,000 troops stationed in occupied parts of Ukraine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley says He said In an interview with CNN on September 18.
While acknowledging that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had moved at a relatively slow pace, the general stressed that the Ukrainian army was “not a spent force” and was making steady gains.
According to Milley, the ongoing military campaign in Kiev cannot be described as a failure since Ukraine has penetrated several Russian defensive belts and still has time to achieve more results.
The general, who is expected to retire as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by the end of the month, said earlier on September 10 that Ukraine has about 30 to 45 days to… stay To attack before the weather gets bad.
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However, Milley noted that even if the counterattack achieves all of its objectives, it will not be enough to completely expel Russian forces from Ukraine.
The general said that removing all 200,000 occupation forces would take a “long period of time”, far exceeding the scope of the ongoing campaign.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the southeast of the country since at least June has drawn criticism for its slow pace and limited gains.
However, the past few weeks have seen several notable successes for Ukraine, as the army has breached the first line of Russian defenses in the region. south The fighting supposedly began Weaker The second line.
Earlier on September 18, General Oleksandr Sirsky, who heads military operations in the East He said Ukrainian forces also penetrated one of the Russian defensive lines near Bakhmut on the Eastern Front.
The final liberation of the village of Klishevka, south of the occupied city It said Ukrainian army spokesman Ilya Yevlash said that Ukrainian forces had established a bridgehead for further counter-offensive operations in the region.
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