Kyiv: As Ukraine delayed a potential counteroffensive more than 14 months after the Kremlin's full-scale invasion while awaiting the delivery of more Western weapons, the British government announced Thursday that it was sending long-range cruise missiles to help drive out Russia's occupying forces.
Britain is donating Storm Shadow missiles, a conventionally armed deep-strike weapon with a range of more than 250 kilometres, according to UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
This implies that it can hit targets far from the front line, such as those in Crimea that is under Russian control. According to UK media, Ukraine has promised not to launch the missiles at Russia directly. The missiles, according to Wallace, "are now going into or are in the country itself."Former US Army Europe Commanding General Ben Hodges tweeted: ""Well done UK!"
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He continued: "This will give Ukraine capability to make Crimea untenable for Russian forces" and would force a change in Russian strategy regarding where to position its Black Sea fleet.
The British action provides the Ukrainian military with additional support after it received other cutting-edge Western weapons like tanks and long-range precision artillery.
After more than 14 months since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's military needs more time to prepare for an anticipated counteroffensive aimed at driving back Russian occupying forces and starting a new chapter in the war.
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In an interview that was aired on Thursday by the BBC, Zelensky stated that starting the assault now would be "unacceptable" because too many lives would be lost.
Zelensky stated in the interview, "With (what we have), we can move forward and be successful," as reported by the BBC.
But a lot of people would be lost. That, in my opinion, is unacceptable, he reportedly said. According to reports, the interview was conducted in Kyiv with public service broadcasters that are part of Eurovision News, such as the BBC. Therefore, we must wait. We still need a little bit of time, Zelensky reportedly said.
For weeks, it has been anticipated that Ukraine will resist Russia's invasion. In preparation for an anticipated invasion, Ukraine is providing its troops with cutting-edge weapons and Western training.
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There has been no word on when a counterpunch might occur, though one is conceivable as the weather in Ukraine gets better. Zelensky's comments could be a red herring to confuse the Russians, and the difficulty in obtaining ammunition on both sides has increased the level of uncertainty.
It was assumed that the counteroffensive was already under way after the Ukrainian military claimed on Wednesday that it had advanced up to two kilometres around the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut