Ukraine unexpectedly confirms it has not yet launched its main counterattack force

Chiến sự ngày 485: Ukraine bất ngờ xác nhận chưa tung lực lượng phản công chủ chốt - Ảnh 1. — Ukrainian soldiers conduct exercises in Zaporizhzhia province on June 15.

The Guardian newspaper on June 23 quoted Ukrainian Army Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi as confirming for the first time that the main force of the offensive reserve has not yet been deployed in the campaign against Russia.

In an exclusive interview from a military base in eastern Ukraine, General Syrskyi said "everything is still ahead", and spoke of the pressure and difficulties in the war, after Russia also attempted to attack in recent days.

Quick Look: Day 484 of the Campaign, Ukraine Changes Its Counterattack; How Has Russia Adapted?

He said the Russian General Staff had anticipated where Ukrainian forces were most vulnerable, warning the Kremlin that he was hunting for a fatal weakness in their defenses.

"People want a big win right away, but be prepared that it will take time because there are many forces on each side," he said, as well as mechanical obstacles.

"I want to say that our main force has not yet entered combat, and now we are searching and probing for weak points in the enemy's defense," he said.

Over the past few days, Russia has stepped up its attacks in many places such as the town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv and Lyman in Donetsk. However, according to CNN on June 24, the Ukrainian army said it had pushed back the Russian side in these directions.

Gen Syrskyi said heavy fighting had broken out in the Serebryansky forest near Bakhmut, as Russia appeared to move its main forces from the south. "It's difficult and tense," he said, describing the fighting in the east.

President Putin: Ukrainian army knows it has no chance against Russia

The Ukrainian General Staff has assembled 12 new brigades for the large-scale counteroffensive, nine of which are NATO-equipped. So far, only three appear to have been deployed.

US calls for investigation into Iranian UAVs

CNN reported on June 23 that US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called for an urgent investigation into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) supplied by Iran to Russia.

"Just recently, I stood with Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Albania to speak out against Russia and Iran's flagrant violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231," Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said at a Security Council meeting.

The resolution was passed after the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and is aimed at controlling arms transfers from Iran.

"We still have no explanation why experts from Group 2231 were not sent to Ukraine to examine the evidence about the origin of these weapons and the destruction they caused," she said.

Russia accuses Ukraine of firing Storm Shadow missile to destroy bridge leading to Crimea

However, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya denied and said that the accusation of Russia using Iranian UAVs in Ukraine was baseless.

"This is not the first time we have heard allegations about our use of Iranian drones in Ukraine. We categorically reject them. These are baseless accusations and blatant attempts to deliberately mislead the international community," he said at the meeting.

Russia will not reveal the number of nuclear warheads in Belarus

Interfax news agency on June 23 quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying that Russia will not inform the US about the number of nuclear warheads being transferred to Belarus, or the tests of Poseidon torpedoes capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Russia and Belarus both said that Belarus has begun receiving tactical (short-range) nuclear weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly promised to send to its neighbor.

The US still spends billions of dollars buying uranium from Russia.

"I seriously doubt that this issue will become the subject of any public discussion or disclosure from our side," Ryabkov told reporters.

“For decades, the US has kept its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of a number of European countries and they never give exact numbers,” he alleged.

Short-range weapons are not covered by the terms of NEW START, the treaty that limits countries’ strategic nuclear arsenals. President Putin has suspended participation, although both sides have pledged to continue to respect its limits.

There are also no treaties or verification mechanisms for nuclear-capable torpedoes like the Poseidon, so Ryabkov said Russia has no plans to notify the United States about tests of the system.

The US has not commented on the above information.

Ukrainian President Says Counteroffensive Progress Slower Than Expected, Not 'Hollywood Movie'

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