Battlefield situation in Ukraine’s east “complicated” amid slow enemy advances, Zelensky admits

The head of the Ukrainian state said this in an interview with Ukrainian Radio, reports Ukrinform.

"In the east, the situation is really difficult. Albeit slowly, the Russians are pressing and advancing – for various reasons, including staffing our brigades with trained service members and supplying those brigades with weapons, all these processes have been slow enough. You cannot simply fill a brigade with manpower if it is awaiting certain weapon systems. We have been waiting for the delivery of certain weapons for 12 months since the agreement was reached in U.S. Congress," said Zelensky.

According to the presidents, there are brigades in the east where soldiers have been fighting for a really long time so now they require rotation. Other brigades should come to replace them. "Imagine, they are not fully manned. So do we throw them into that meat grinder like those ‘russkies’ do? No one wants that. That's why our guys get worn out and pull back. Because the enemy launches KAB bombs. Everything around them is being wiped out. They ask if they can take pull back, and their military leadership says: ‘Yes’. Because this is our general position: people come first, before the land," emphasized the head of state.

He noted that it is necessary for soldiers to be sure that rotation is coming, that they have another brigade to step up. "And then the Russians will be in the position in which we are currently in the east. This is actually what’s happening," Zelensky said.

The President noted that reserve units had been created. Their core included those who had gone through war. Around them are those who have been mobilized. After training, everyone was waiting for equipment to come.

"No one set up dozens of new brigades. Sometimes, a certain brigade can no longer hold a section of a certain width. Because those people are worn out... and they must be reinforced with an additional brigade. Because the "russkies" outman us one to eight, or one to three," the President emphasized.

Answering the question of what Ukraine is preparing for at the front in the near future, and whether the pace of the Russian advance will be maintained, Zelensky noted that Russia’s daily casualties amount to 1,500-2,000. They cannot keep advancing with such losses, he believes. In some directions, it is already visible how their progress has slowed down.

"Now, in order to stop them, the reserves, the manned brigades, which we have been waiting for so long, will come in handy. But we have to understand what the ‘russkies’ want. We are at war with a state that does not care for its people, that does not care how many die. And with from our side, we must do everything to end the war next year. This is very important," the head of state emphasized.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that currently, the Ukrainian Army is one of the most powerful ones in the world and the most powerful one in Europe.

Photo: President’s Office