One of Ukraine’s goals is to reach the Sea of Azov, about 60 miles south of Orikhiv, cutting off Russian forces between the south and east of the country, said the first DOD official.
The New York Times first reported that Ukraine had begun the main thrust of its counteroffensive.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke by phone on Wednesday with Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, according to a readout from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office. The two discussed the situation on the ground and “measures taken by the defense forces to liberate Ukrainian lands from the Russian invaders.”
The push this week may be the start of the first real breakthrough for Ukrainian forces so far in the counteroffensive. Kyiv’s soldiers have struggled to move through dense minefields and fortified Russian positions while coming under heavy fire from artillery and aircraft.
But Russia has retaliated with a barrage of new airstrikes this week, including on Wednesday, when a Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson warned that a new volley of missiles had been fired toward western Ukraine and the capital of Kyiv. The latest attacks included the powerful hypersonic Kinzhal missile, which can travel at least five times the speed of sound.
Top Pentagon officials have in recent weeks described Ukraine’s strategy as holding its best-trained forces in reserve while probing enemy lines for weak spots. Many of the units Ukraine has held in reserve have been trained by the West on advanced maneuver tactics, and equipped with well-armored Western fighting vehicles and personnel carriers.
Those officials have also acknowledged that the counteroffensive is going slower than some had hoped, but said Kyiv was biding its time.
“This offensive will be slow, it’ll be difficult, and it’ll come at a high cost. This battle continues as the Ukrainians fight through dense minefields and obstacles while a robust Ukrainian reserve force lies in wait to be committed at the optimal time and place of Ukrainian choosing,” Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley told reporters last week.
Colin Kahl, who recently departed as the Pentagon’s top policy official, described the Ukrainians as deliberately “probing for weak spots” across the east and south of the country.
“The real test will be when they identify weak spots or create weak spots and generate a breach, how rapidly they’re able to exploit that with the combat power that they have in reserve, and how rapidly the Russians will be able to respond,” Kahl said during a July 7 briefing with reporters.
Paul McLeary contributed to this report.