After months of speculation as to when and where the Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia would begin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy finally stated on June 10 that the offensive had begun. It must be assumed that the lack of fanfare attending this event was because the assault until then had not proved as successful as anticipated. While United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is no doubt correct that ‘this is a story that continues to be written day by day’, Ukrainian losses are presumed heavy in men and material as Kiev probed for weakness in the Russian defence lines stretching 1,000 kilometres in the east and south east of Ukraine. Both sides acknowledge that fighting was intense, especially as Ukraine’s initial efforts were to drive through Russian positions to reach the Sea of Azov and deprive Russia of its land access to Crimea. It can be assumed that this strategy had been anticipated by the Russian side.
How Ukraine and Russia stack up
Ukraine has assembled large quantities of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-supplied weaponry and a great number of its troops for the offensive, and much of these are already committed in battle. Losses on both sides are confirmed in both capitals. After six weeks of fighting it appears that the bravado in the western media about the counter-offensive has diminished to a point where it is rarely discussed.
