War in Ukraine, day 732 | The Kremlin allegedly got its hands on the plans for the Ukrainian counter-offensive

(Kyiv) Victory against Russia “depends on you”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his Western allies on Sunday from whom he expects arms and ammunition, while saying he was “sure” that the American Congress would eventually approve aid long awaited.

Mr. Zelensky, who spoke at a press conference in Kyiv, also indicated that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in two years of war since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

He also claimed that Russia had managed to get its hands on plans for the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, before it even began, its failure having dealt a heavy blow to Ukraine.

Asked about the possibility of Kyiv’s defeat, the president replied that “whether Ukraine will lose, whether the situation will be very difficult and whether there will be a large number of victims depends on you, our partners, from the Western world.”

Western allies, whose support is essential for Kyiv, have been reluctant in recent months to validate new budgetary envelopes to obtain more arms and ammunition, which the Ukrainian army sorely needs to repel the assaults of Russian forces.

But Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “sure” of a “positive” vote from the American Congress to validate aid of 60 billion dollars, currently blocked by Donald Trump’s Republican troops, the majority in Congress.

In recent days, the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly urged his Western allies to deliver military assistance more quickly, calling in particular for ammunition, more air defense systems and combat aircraft.

“If we are strong, with weapons, we will not lose this war,” he assured.

Especially since half of the Western weapons promised to Kyiv are delivered late, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Roustem Oumerov.

“Currently, commitment does not equate to delivery, 50% of [ces] commitments are not delivered on time,” he said at a forum in Kyiv dedicated to the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Because of these delays, “we are losing people, we are losing territories,” added the minister.

Regarding losses in the ranks of the Ukrainian army, and with Kyiv lacking recruits after two years of conflict, Mr. Zelensky said that “31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in this war.” “Not 300,000, not 150,000, as Putin and his circle of liars say,” he said.

Kyiv and Moscow usually refuse to communicate about their own military losses.

“Information leaks”

Returning to the Ukrainian counter-offensive last summer, Mr. Zelensky assured that Moscow had obtained the plans.

“Our counter-offensive plans were on the Kremlin’s table before the counter-offensive actions began,” he said.

Questioned by AFP, the presidency confirmed that the Ukrainian president was indeed referring to a leak of information.

To address “information leaks” in the future, Zelensky said his military leaders were developing several battle plans for 2024.

The great Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023 came up against powerful Russian defense lines which exhausted the resources of the Ukrainian army without allowing the regions occupied by Russia to be liberated.

The Ukrainian president had argued that delays in arms deliveries had contributed to his failure.

“Last year, during the counter-offensive, we had a lot of very useful things, a lot of very important things, but not all of them arrived on time,” he explained on Friday.

On the front, the Ukrainian army is facing an extremely difficult situation since their recent withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka (east), conquered by the Russian army after four months of violent fighting and heavy losses.

With confidence, Moscow’s soldiers push ever harder on the Southern and Eastern fronts, without however obtaining a major breakthrough.

And strikes continue on Ukrainian territory, targeted daily by Russian missiles and drones.

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, a Russian attack on Kostiantynivka (east) left one person injured and damaged numerous civilian buildings, including a train station, according to the national police.

In Nikopol (south), a Russian drone dropped explosives on a car, killing the 57-year-old man who was there, the regional governor said.