MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2023) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday he had visited the forefront of the Ukrainian special operations forces in the direction of Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, to congratulate soldiers on their professional day.
"Bakhmut direction, advanced positions of the Special Operations Forces. Today, I am here to congratulate our warriors on their professional day, to honor their strength. I heard a commander's report, talked with the warriors," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Later in the day, the Ukrainian president added that he had also visited the Ukrainian-controlled cities of Chasiv Yar, Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka.
Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after repeatedly delaying the campaign over a lack of military supplies from its Western donors. Zelenskyy admitted that progress was "slower than desired."
After encountering stiff Russian resistance, Ukrainian commanders largely held off sending Western tanks into battle, focusing instead on making targeted strikes, Western media reported. In mid-July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ukraine's counteroffensive was in its "early weeks" and would "play out over the next weeks."
The Russian Defense Ministry says Ukrainian troops have been trying � but failing � to advance in the South Donetsk, Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia sectors. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 23 that Ukraine had lost over 26,000 soldiers since the start of the counteroffensive.
