Since the start of the counteroffensive this month, Ukraine has said it has regained control of groups of villages in the southeast, although Russia still controls large swathes of territory in the east, south and southeast.
“If we talk about all front lines, in the east and south, then we are taking the strategic initiative and advancing in all directions,” Malyar told Ukrainian television.
Maliar indicated that Ukrainian forces are moving “with confidence” around the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, which is controlled by Russian forces, and that the main fighting is taking place around the city.
She added that Kiev forces in the south are achieving some success.
“In the south, we are moving with varying success. There are days when we control a distance of more than a kilometer, sometimes less than a kilometer, and sometimes up to two kilometers,” she said.
She noted that the feasibility of the counterattack must be assessed in light of “a lot of different military missions” and not just through progress and liberation of areas.
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And she added, “Therefore, all these tasks are being carried out, and only the army is able to correctly and accurately assess this, and at its discretion, everything is going according to plan.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the counterattack is proceeding at a slower pace than expected, but Kiev will not rush to speed up operations.
Ukrainian officials also said that the “main part” of the counteroffensive had not yet begun, and that Kiev had not yet sent its main reserve forces into combat.
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