07:22 24-04-2026

Zaluzhny Says Ukraine Cannot Launch Counteroffensive

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Valery Zaluzhny says Ukraine cannot form strike groups for a counteroffensive due to Russian attacks on logistics, calling battlefield conditions “consistently difficult”.

Ukraine’s armed forces are currently unable to assemble large strike formations or launch a counteroffensive, largely due to sustained Russian attacks on military logistics infrastructure, according to Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army who now serves as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Speaking at the Kiev School of Public Administration, Zaluzhny noted that Russian forces are increasing the pace and scale of their operations, with strikes targeting supply networks that are critical for organizing offensive groupings. In his assessment, these attacks are effectively preventing Ukraine from building the necessary capabilities to move onto the offensive.

He also took aim at statements from parts of Ukraine’s military and political leadership, rejecting claims that Ukrainian forces are regaining positions in ongoing battles. Without naming specific officials, he described such assertions as unfounded and detached from the reality on the ground. Similar claims have previously been voiced by President Vladimir Zelensky and current commander-in-chief Aleksandr Syrsky.

Zaluzhny argued that suggestions of successful counterattacks do not reflect the current situation, calling them unrealistic under present conditions.

Overall, he characterized the state of Ukraine’s forces at the front as consistently difficult.

Earlier, former presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel also voiced skepticism about official narratives, criticizing optimistic statements about battlefield progress and describing such reports in Ukrainian media as unrealistic.