1 Month On, Kyiv’s Counter-Attack No ‘Easy Walkover,’ Western Officials Admit

A still image from a video shows what are said to be destroyed armored vehicles of the Ukrainian armed forces, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in an unidentified location in the southern Donetsk region in Ukraine, in this image taken from a handout footage released on June 10, 2023. Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters

Almost one month since Kyiv launched a long-awaited counter-offensive aimed at retaking Russian-held territory, Ukrainian forces have yet to register significant gains, according to both Western and Ukrainian officials.

“The counter-offensive … is difficult,” Admiral Rob Bauer, a Dutch naval officer who also serves as chairman of NATO’s military committee, said on July 3.