Ukraine says ‘biggest blow’ yet to come in counteroffensive push

Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said the “biggest blow” in Kyiv’s counteroffensive campaign against Russian forces has yet to come but admitted the operation is difficult as Moscow is throwing all it can into the battle to prevent Ukraine from pressing forward.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said the “biggest blow” in Kyiv’s counteroffensive campaign against Russian forces has yet to come but admitted the operation is difficult as Moscow is throwing all it can into the battle to prevent Ukraine from pressing forward.

Ukraine began the first stage of its long-rumoured counteroffensive two weeks ago to reclaim land occupied by Russian forces. But amid reports of slow progress by Ukraine’s forces and stiff resistance by Russia, officials in Moscow have claimed the Ukrainian offensive has failed.

The Ukrainian military, which has maintained a strict silence about the campaign in general, announced on Monday that small victories had been achieved and eight villages liberated so far, along with some 113 square km (70 sq miles) of territory.

“The biggest blow is yet to come,” Maliar said on Monday.

“The ongoing operation has several objectives, and the military is fulfilling these tasks,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.