Ukraine has made progress in its counteroffensive against Russian forces simply by proving it can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy, a senior Ukrainian official says.
Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, and a US official said last week it looked unlikely that they would be able to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol.
But Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Ukraine's progress was too slow and said its forces had effectively defied military doctrine by attacking an enemy that has a numerical advantage in manpower and weaponry.
"It's incorrect to measure this advance by metres or kilometres," Maliar told Reuters in an interview.
"What's important is the very fact that despite everything, we're moving forward even though we have fewer people and fewer weapons."
She said she was unaware of any foreign pressure being exerted on Ukraine's military to accelerate operations, and challenged the idea of a universally "correct" tempo.
Maliar highlighted the grinding attrition in the war, particularly in Ukraine's east, where she said Russian forces - who also enjoy air superiority - can fire 400,000-500,000 artillery shells each week or about 10 times more than Ukraine.
Acknowledging the vital role of foreign military aid in the war, she added: "Needless to say, in order to reach parity with them we need this help."
Armed with foreign tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, Ukraine has retaken a string of villages but no larger settlements.
The onset of wetter and colder weather from October may complicate operations on the battlefield.
Maliar, a war crimes lawyer, has served as a deputy defence minister since 2021.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year, she has regularly announced the latest battlefield developments.
Earlier on Tuesday, she said Ukrainian troops had gained a foothold in the southeastern village of Robotyne on the road to Tokmak, an occupied rail hub whose recapture would be a milestone in Ukraine's southward drive to reach the Sea of Azov.
The next major settlement is the big regional city of Melitopol.
Germany's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Ukraine needed more help penetrating Russian minefields and that it was discussing with its partners how to fulfil Ukrainian requests for more equipment.
Meanwhile, Russian officials said border guards stopped a group of armed Ukrainians from entering western Russia on Tuesday,
Bryansk Oblast governor Alexander Bogomas wrote on Telegram that the incident took place in the Klimovo district, which borders Ukraine and Belarus.
The information could not be independently verified.
Bogomas spoke of a "well co-ordinated and heroic action" by the border troops, who are under the control of the FSB intelligence service.
"Measures are currently underway to ensure the safety of the civilian population," he wrote.
In May and June, Russian partisan groups fighting against the Kremlin had entered the Belgorod region from Ukraine.
They fought battles with the army that lasted for days.
So far, there are no indications that Ukrainian soldiers have entered Russian territory.
However, drone attacks on Russian air bases in recent days suggest that Ukrainian military intelligence is controlling sabotage groups in Russia.
with DPA
