The Russian military is advancing across the “almost the entire front line” as Vladimir Putin’s soldiers begin their offensive, Kyiv has warned.
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has warned the situation is difficult for Kyiv’s men.
He said: “At this time, the situation can be assessed as difficult. The enemy is now advancing along almost the entire front line, and we have moved from offensive operations to conducting a defensive operation.
“The objective of our defence operation is to exhaust the enemy’s forces, inflict maximum losses on him, using our fortifications, our advantages in terms of technology, in terms of using unmanned aircraft, means of electronic warfare, and maintaining prepared defense lines.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been urging Western allies to provide more support for his troops as the war with Russia rages on.
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Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2023 was seen as a disappointment after Kyiv’s troops failed to make any substantial gains. Russia has also ramped up its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Putin’s forces recently used its hypersonic Zircon missile for the first time, according to an expert.
Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, confirmed the use of the missiles after his institute’s analysis of the weapon fragments from the Russian attack on 7 February.
The Zircon missile has a range of 1,000km (625 miles) and travels at nine times the speed of sound.
