Zelensky admits counteroffensive progress is slower than desired.

Ukrainian President Zelensky: Battlefield Progress Slower Than Desired

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC.

Ukraine has reported recapturing eight villages in the south in the last two weeks. Though small, these advances are the biggest by its forces since November as they push into heavily fortified and mined Russian-held areas.

Zelensky revealed that the military push is not going smoothly due to the extensive mining of Ukrainian territory by Russian forces, covering an area of 200,000 square km (77,220 square miles).

“Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best,” Zelensky told the BBC.

Russia has had months to prepare its defenses, and Ukrainian troops have yet to reach the heaviest Russian defensive fortifications, which are set back from the 1,000-km (600-mile) long front line.

A senior Ukrainian defense official stated that Kyiv’s forces have had “partial success” in the last day, digging in and attacking on the southern front while weathering a significant Russian assault in the east.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Timothy Heritage)