Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [Getty Images]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [Getty Images]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has mocked Russia as battlefield conditions appear to be shifting in Ukraine's favor, projecting confidence as he presses ahead with what he calls a "40-day operation" against Russian forces.

In a social media post Monday local time, Zelensky said Russia had been given 15 separate deadlines to seize Ukraine's Donetsk region — and had missed every one. "The Russian army has been given 15 chances to occupy our Donetsk region since the war began," he said, ridiculing Moscow for repeatedly pushing back its own self-imposed timetables. He went on to call Russia's claim that it could fully occupy the Donbas — encompassing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — a "delusion."

Zelensky also took aim at Russia's energy supply problems, warning that ordinary Russians face a difficult future. "The 1 million Russians who are not mobilized, standing in lines at gas stations and complaining, should think about what awaits them," he said.

The remarks appeared to be a direct response to Putin, who said in a June 28 speech that "we are going through a difficult period."

According to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, Ukrainian forces recaptured more territory than they lost to Russian troops for two consecutive months in April and May.

Ukraine has also been intensifying strikes on Russian rear-area energy facilities, deploying long-range drones and its domestically developed Flamingo cruise missile.

Putin says West applying 'harsh, unprecedented pressure' on Russia

According to the Tass news agency, Putin told a recent gathering of his ruling United Russia party that Russia was enduring a difficult period, adding that "Russia can only exist as a strong and independent state — otherwise it cannot exist at all."

Putin said Russia was facing "harsh and unprecedented pressure from Western elites," accusing the West of seeking to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, destabilize its political situation and stoke unrest.

Putin also chaired a meeting on domestic fuel supply, attended by ministers from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Energy. He called for minimizing damage to "peaceful civilian facilities and infrastructure from terrorist attacks."

Zelensky, meanwhile, has said he approved a Ukrainian Security Service "40-day influence operation" aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war.


yul@heraldcorp.com