Zelenskyy was referring to a statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin that was erected in the Russian-occupied town of Henichesk which sits on the Sea of Azov in Kherson province, just north of the border with Russian-annexed Crimea. The original Lenin statue was taken down by order of the city council in 2015."Today we can report on the 200th downed Russian military aircraft. Russia has not lost so many aircraft in any war in decades."
"And Russia has lost almost 27,000 soldiers, many of them young conscripts."
"Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks, armored combat vehicles, a large number of conventional military vehicles, helicopters, drones and all its prospects as a state."
"Why all this? For a monument to Lenin to stand in the temporarily occupied Henichesk for a little longer? There is no other result for Russia and there will not be any."
On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a Senate hearing that Russian President Putin is prepared for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, betting that Russia is more willing and able to endure the impact of a long-term war than the Kremlin’s adversaries.By May 9, Russia had suffered a strategic defeat: it had failed to destroy the Ukrainian State by military intervention and organize a change of power in favor of Russian puppets. We forced Russia to reduce the scale of its objectives to the operational and tactical level.
Given that, we are entering a new, long-term phase of the war. To win it, we must plan resources carefully, avoid mistakes and project our strength in such a way that the enemy ultimately breaks. [...]
“Extremely tough weeks are ahead. No one can say for sure how many of them there will be. [...]
During this period, we will continue defending from the enraged aggressor mainly on our own.
Over 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers are already training or will start training in the next couple of days to master equipment from our partners and then return as instructors. Some of them, like artillerymen, will go straight into battle.
Time will pass until heavy weaponry will balance the scales and ensure a breakthrough in favor of Ukraine.
Reznikov in particular praised UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for their roles in organizing and increasing military assistance for Ukraine. On April 26, Reznikov met with defense ministers from more than 40 countries at the U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany, to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s defense needs.The main argument was that Ukraine is defending the whole Europe, and the enhancement of our defense is the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank. That is why ensuring the de facto mutual compatibility of the Alliance armies with the Ukrainian defense forces is in line with common interests.
Eventually, a tectonic shift took place. Within a month, Ukraine has completed a path of integration in the sphere of defense that it was not able to overcome for 30 years.
We are already receiving heavy weaponry from our partners. In particular, American 155-mm M777 howitzers are already working at the front lines.
Now most partners are confident in the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defeat the Russian invaders and cause irreparable damage to them.
Reznikov noted that Russia has not only suffered defeats on the battlefield but also at the international level. The West is tightening economic sanctions, while Finland and Sweden are seeking NATO membership. The courage and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people, he said, has given the world “the chance to overcome dictatorship which constitutes a global threat.” He concluded:“The free world which was shocked by the atrocities of the Russian invaders on our land set a new common goal: not to stop, but to defeat the Kremlin,” he said. “This fully corresponds with our aspirations, because our goal is to restore our sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.”
Time passes unspeakably slowly. … We remember that our citizens in temporary occupied territories are in danger. People are kidnapped, tortured, and killed. That is why we are doing everything possible and impossible to speed up the liberation of our land.
The growing pressure of sanctions against Russia and the increase of foreign aid to Ukraine in the next few months should create conditions under which the Kremlin will completely lose chances for any success.
Then a new window of opportunity for Ukraine should appear. In this extremely difficult period, we need unity, cohesion, will and patience. Ukraine will be victorious!