The counteroffensive of Ukrainian Armed Forces has already started, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said in an interview with the Italian TV channel TG1.
According to him, Ukrainian troops have been conducting counteroffensive operations for several days at certain sections of the front, which stretches for 1,500 kilometers.
He assured that Ukraine is not going to use Western weapons received from allies to fight on Russian territory, but will use them to liberate its occupied lands, including Crimea.
“Today we have Storm Shadow long-range missiles, Leopards, anti-missile systems that France and Italy supplied us with. F-16 fighters will finally allow us to close the airspace”, – he said. – “The paradox is that if we had them a year ago, the war would be over”.
Ukraine’s armed forces have been preparing for a counteroffensive since winter. On May 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev needs a little more time because not all of the weapons promised by the partners have arrived in Ukraine yet.
The head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, previously said that the Ukrainian authorities were lying, and the counteroffensive of the AFU was already in full swing in some places.