Ukraine: We Have Not Yet Started the Counteroffensive

A senior Ukrainian security official stated on Wednesday that Ukraine has not yet launched the planned counteroffensive to reclaim territories occupied by Russia, emphasizing that the start of the offensive will be clear to everyone when it happens. Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, denied claims from Russian officials that the counteroffensive has already begun, telling Reuters, "All of this is not true. When this starts, it will be our army that decides. When we begin the counteroffensive, everyone will know and will see it." He added that Russian officials were mistaken in believing that Ukrainian advances in certain areas along the front lines were the beginning of a larger operation. Danilov asserted that "there is no doubt that Russia caused the destruction of the Kakhovka dam because the region has been under occupation since the beginning of the Russian invasion." He explained that Ukraine will now face pressure to agree to peace talks, reiterating the Ukrainian stance against any negotiations before Russian troops withdraw from the country. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar stated on Wednesday that "Ukraine has advanced between 200 meters and 1,100 meters in some areas around the devastated city of Bakhmut in the past twenty-four hours."