“The US Secretary of State emphasizes Ukrainian counteroffensive plans amid failed Russian Federation efforts: Latest Updates”

United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Ukraine was preparing a counteroffensive in the coming weeks. He also called for close monitoring of its development.

He said this during an interview with Fox News journalist Ben Hall, published on the website of the State Department and quoted by UNIAN.

Asked that the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine appears to have reached an impasse, the US secretary of state stressed that the plans of the Russian Federation have already failed and called for close monitoring of the development of Ukraine’s future counteroffensive.

“Russia has already failed in the sense that their original intentions were to wipe Ukraine off the map, subjugate it to Russia, destroy it as an independent state. Ultimately, their success on the battlefield is the best and perhaps the fastest a path to negotiations that will ensure a just and sustainable peace,” Blinken said.

Alexey Arestovich, a former adviser in the presidential office, predicted that the main goal of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be the deoccupation of Crimea. According to him, the Ukrainian peninsula is very inconvenient for defense.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba recently announced preparations for an operation to liberate Ukrainian territories from Russian invaders. At the same time, he stressed that the decisive battle will be the one that will lead to the complete de-occupation of Ukrainian lands.

The losses of the armed forces of Ukraine in the last month amounted to more than 15 thousand people. This was stated by the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, adding that Russian troops are active along the entire line of contact, foreign agencies write.

“Despite unprecedented military aid from Western countries, the enemy is suffering significant losses. In the last month alone, he has lost more than 15,000 people,” he said at a conference call with the leadership of the Russian armed forces.

Ukraine’s armed forces have lost 80 percent of their original personnel as a result of the fighting, retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter said earlier. According to him, it will not be possible to fully compensate for the losses in manpower. At the same time, Washington refused to publish official data on the losses of the armed forces of Ukraine.

Over 400 tanks, around 300 drones and 8 planes of the Ukrainian army have destroyed the Russian armed forces during the “special operation” in the last month. This statement was made by the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, during a conference call with the leadership of the Russian army, foreign media reported.

“Our servicemen have destroyed 8 aircraft, 277 unmanned aerial vehicles, 430 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 18 rocket launchers, 225 field artillery guns and mortars,” he said.

According to Shoigu, Russian troops continue to liquidate Western weapons being delivered to Ukraine.

Earlier, Shoigu said that the losses of the armed forces of Ukraine for the month amounted to more than 15 thousand people. According to him, Russian troops are active along the entire contact line.

The Russians prioritized the selection of targets for their missile attacks against Ukraine. Now they primarily have weapons depots, not energy facilities, said Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, quoted by UNIAN.

He noted that the massive attacks on Ukrainian energy in the fall and winter did not bring the desired result, so the Russians are changing tactics. This is due, among other things, to the general strategic situation in the war.

“It is clear that the Western weapons that our partners provide us remain a priority. And there is no need to write off the objects of our fuel and energy sector, all life in the country, the provision of the armed forces depends on it. The enemy will do that,” said the Air Force spokesman. forces.
Ignat noted that the decrease in the number of rockets fired by the enemy as part of a massive shelling was due in particular to the general depletion of stocks of these weapons.

Since October 10, Russia has launched a series of massive missile strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities. In these attacks, the aggressor uses up to a hundred rockets at once. The last such massive strike was carried out on March 9: 80 missiles were fired.

Despite the significant damage done to the Ukrainian energy system, its complete destruction did not occur. Power outages were manageable, while outages were short-lived and usually localized.

On the night of April 28 to May 1, Russia made new attempts at missile strikes after an almost two-month hiatus. 23 and 18 missiles were fired, respectively, most of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

Follow the latest news with BLITZ and on Telegram. Join the channel here