Zelensky said that the authorities have approved the timing of the start of the counteroffensive

The Ukrainian authorities have approved the timing of the start of the counter-offensive of the military Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“We approved the dates for the start of the movements of our troops,” Zelensky said in a video message posted on his Telegram channel.

He added that at the meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander, the directions for the counteroffensive were determined, and the issues of providing the military with ammunition were also touched upon.

On May 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, once again said that Kyiv needs even more time to prepare a counteroffensive.

At the same time, on May 24, adviser to the head of the office of the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Podolyak, in an interview with the Rai 1 TV channel, said that the counteroffensive had allegedly been going on for several days.

Earlier, retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that the Ukrainian army, most likely, simply cannot launch a counteroffensive. He stressed that Kyiv is experiencing a serious shortage of soldiers, and the nine brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine trained in NATO countries will not achieve the necessary results.

Russian special operation to protect Donbass

The DPR and LPR announced the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass on February 17, 2022. Then they announced the evacuation of the population.

On February 21, the heads of the republics turned to Putin with a request to recognize their independence. The President held a meeting of the Security Council, after which he recognized the LNR and the DNR. Friendship and cooperation agreements were signed with both republics, which were later ratified by the State Duma and the Federation Council.

Two days later, the heads of the DPR and LPR turned to Putin with a request to help repel Kyiv’s aggression in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and civilian casualties. The next day, February 24, the Russian leader addressed the nation and announced the start of a special operation in Ukraine to protect Donbass.

On September 30, Putin and the heads of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions signed agreements on the entry of these regions into the Russian Federation.