RT reviews Ukrainian leader’s account of Kiev’s gains in the conflict and compares it to Russian statements and open-source data
Kiev’s forces haven’t lost a single village to Russia and have actually secured victory in the Black Sea, destroyed the Wagner group and continued to move forward, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed during a joint press conference with US counterpart Joe Biden.
Zelensky and Biden met in the Oval Office on Tuesday as the Ukrainian leader came to Washington in an attempt to persuade US lawmakers to greenlight more military aid for Kiev. This was after a bill intended to provide the country with $60 billion in assistance was blocked in the US Senate last week, as Republicans demanded tougher immigration control on the US southern border in exchange for approving Ukraine aid.
Zelensky’s charm offensive included an account of Kiev’s “successes” in the fight against Russia, though he stressed that these accomplishments were “not easy.” RT has compared his claims to statements by the Russian military and officials, and to data available in open sources.
Zelensky: “Our forces are advancing.”
In late November, the president himself announced that the Ukrainian military would switch from attacking to building fortifications, acknowledging that Kiev’s much-hyped counteroffensive, which began in early June and aimed to cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, had ended without success. According to Russian Defense Ministry estimates, Ukraine has lost over 125,000 troops and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in failed attempts to advance over the past six months.
Earlier this week, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky, said that the Russian military “doesn’t stop conducting offensive operations along the entire front.” The situation for the Ukrainian defenders “remains difficult,” he acknowledged.
Zelensky: “We’ve gained victory on the sea. We’ve destroyed Russian ships. We drew the remnants of their fleets to Russian territorial waters.”