Ukraine has seen ‘no lost positions’ in counteroffensive, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country has seen “no lost positions” in the counteroffensive against Russia, just hours after fending off a bombardment of exploding drones that Russia launched overnight.

Early Tuesday, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 32 of the 35 Shahed exploding drones from Russia, officials said, but the bombardment exposed some gaps in Ukraine’s air protection. The drone attacks were mostly in the Kyiv region, though some extended to other parts of the country, including in the Lviv region.

In a video update Tuesday, Zelensky assured the Ukrainian people that the high-stakes counteroffensive, for which the country has been preparing for months, is demonstrating Ukraine’s strength as it defends or retakes its territory.

“In some areas, our warriors are moving forward; in some areas, they are defending their positions and resisting the occupiers’ assaults and intensified attacks,” Zelensky said in the video. “We have no lost positions. Only liberated ones. They have only losses.

“In general, it is a situation of pressure, our pressure, which allows us to pave the way for our flag. Blue and yellow colors will be all over our south and all over our east. And the evil state has no such fortifications or reserves that will stop Ukraine. Because we are on our own land, and this gives us the greatest strength.”

The Ukrainian counteroffensive is in its early stages and comes after nearly 16 months of war with Russia.

In the video update, Zelensky discussed diplomatic efforts, noting the various international leaders he has met with and spoken to recently, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Tuesday. He called on the United Kingdom to maintain its sanctions against Russia “until the aggressor compensates for all the damage done to our people and our country.”

Zelensky said he also spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about “our movement towards the EU” — a step Zelensky has long advocated.

He said he expects “an interim verbal assessment of our work on the European Commission’s recommendations” sometime this week.