Top US general claims Ukraine has weeks before weather makes counteroffensive difficult

The highest-ranking military officer in the United States has cautioned that Ukraine only has six weeks left to continue its counterattack before the weather becomes an obstacle. However, Kyiv has indicated that it might still continue fighting even during the winter season.

There is still enough time to fight for about 30 to 45 more days, according to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mark Milley spoke to the BBC on Sunday. Afterwards, he explained that the mud and rain could affect how easily soldiers can move on the battlefield.

In line with the positive outlook from the Biden administration, Milley said the counteroffensive has been making consistent progress since it started in June.

The Ukrainians are still fighting and they have not finished what they are trying to do. He said that it’s too soon to know how this will end.

On Sunday, it was reported that there were only small improvements in one of Ukraine’s main areas of attack, near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. This area is on the route to the important town of Tokmak.

A Telegram channel of Ukraine’s 46th brigade, which has been trustworthy, said that soldiers have moved forward to the east of a nearby village. However, they warned that Russian forces still have an advantage as they hold the higher ground in the area.

At the moment, a message online from the southern ‘Tavria’ command stated: “we are still moving forward little by little in the Robotyne area. ” Approximately 15 square kilometers of land in Ukraine has been set free, but it didn’t mention how long it took to accomplish this.

When asked about how quickly his forces were moving forward on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine still had control, but he told the audience in Kyiv not to think of the counteroffensive as a movie that ends in just 90 minutes.

A senior security official of Zelensky said at the same event the next day that Ukraine’s forces might continue attacking throughout the upcoming winter.

Kyrylo Budanov, who is in charge of military intelligence, admitted that the counterattack was not progressing as quickly as he wanted it to. He said that Russia had a good plan for their defenses and they had put a lot of mines. This made the situation on the battlefield difficult.

But even though the military knows about the cold weather, they won’t stop fighting. They will keep attacking and defending.

Earlier in the week, a former US General named David Petraeus said during a different meeting in Kyiv that this situation will continue during the winter season.

Comparisons to Ukraine’s first major counterattack in 2022 indicate that a longer duration may be possible.

A year ago, the Russian forces were pushed out of the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian forces regained control of the town of Lyman around September 30.

Ukraine fought back in the south for another six weeks until they finally freed Kherson around November 10.

There is a lot of discussion among experts and decision-makers about whether Ukraine should have continued with its efforts, or if the countries supporting them didn’t provide enough weapons and ammunition for them to do so.

People who support Kyiv are worried that if the offensive operations stop during the winter, it will give Russia a chance to make their defenses stronger.