Russian minefields and the Kakhovka Dam destruction are slowing down Ukrainian advances in the counter-offensive.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive is not going as fast as planned, said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin made a similar comment, describing a "lull" in the Ukrainian effort.
The Ukrainian highly anticipated counter-offensive started earlier this month in the southern sector of the front.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attacked near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, one of the most fortified sectors of the entire line of contact.
Ukraine aims at severing the land bridge between mainland Russia and Crimea, a connection established in the early stages of the war.
If successful, the counter-offensive could sever contacts between the Russian army in Crimea and the rest of the country. Essentially, the counter-offensive’s main objective is to isolate Crimea and put it under siege.
Crimea would be connected only through the Kerch Bridge, which Ukrainian forces bombed last year, with scarce water and food supplies.
To prevent a Ukrainian siege of Crimea, Russia has heavily fortified all routes leading to it. The same routes that the AFU is currently trying to reconquer.
But the Kakhovka Dam explosion and the dense Russian mining fields are disrupting the Ukrainian effort. Though some border villages have been conquered and the counter-offensive is only in its early stages, operations are not going as planned.
Unwavering Western support
Despite difficulties in the Ukrainian advance, the West does not seem to lose its faith and support in Kyiv.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently declared that the Russian invasion proved how much Ukraine has to offer, and the President of the EU Commission Ursula Von der Leyen said she had "no doubt" about Ukraine joining Brussels.
Next month, a NATO summit will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania. The meeting, directly bordering on the conflict, will likely decide Western commitment to the war going forward.
NATO representatives will also have more information regarding the Ukrainian counter-offensive and its likelihood of success.
Failure to reach military objectives could either result in a withdrawal of equipment and material support or in a renewed supply of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.
It’s too early to say how many more chances Ukraine will get. Last year’s wildly triumphant victories increased Western expectations, and Kyiv must ride the tide as long as it lasts.
But no military operation ever goes perfectly to plan. Ukraine’s only hope is to achieve even partial success in order to prove its worth.
Zelensky’s words might be true or might be intentionally deceiving. Only time will tell.
