(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Over the past week, the Defense Forces destroyed more than 300 units of enemy equipment and did not allow the Russians to advance, despite intensified shelling and air strikes. That's according to Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar, who spoke at the national telethon, commenting on the latest battlefield developments.
"Over the past week, more than 300 units of enemy equipment were destroyed in the east and south, and in addition, ammunition depots, command and control points, and manpower clusters were hit. That is, our military forces are engaging the enemy in a really powerful manner," said Maliar.
According to the official, another great achievement of Ukraine's Defense Forces is the lack of enemy advance despite intensified shelling.
Read also: zelensky: counteroffensive might be progressing slower than someone would like but ukraine retains initiative "Wherever the enemy is trying to advance, in four directions in the east - Lyman, Kupiansk, Avdiivka, and Marinka, they fail. What does it mean? This means that our guys are in such a powerful defense that even intensified shelling that we record today, the increase in the use of aviation, gives the enemy nothing," said the deputy minister.
According to Maliar, it takes patience and understanding that the war between strong adversaries cannot be short. A powerful duel is now underway.
"All these weeks that you and I have been observing are not just a duel, it can be referred to as an act of attrition. Our Armed Forces are destroying the enemy's offensive and defensive potential, that is, to make it more difficult for them to both attack and defend. And another important aspect is that we need to exhaust the enemy – this is a normal thing," Maliar emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, from February 24, 2022 to August 8, 2023, Ukraine's Defense Forces have eliminated 250,800 russian invaders , including 560 in the past day.
Also, as of August 8, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 4,254
Russian tanks (+10 in the past day), 8,278 (+8) armored fighting vehicles, 4,996 (+19) artillery systems, 709 (+0) MLR systems, 468 (+1) air defense systems, 315 (+0) warplanes, 312 (+1) helicopters, 4,158 (+4) operational and tactical-level drones, 1,377 (+0) cruise missiles, 18 (+0) warships/cutters, 7,460 (+9) trucks and tankers, and 737 (+2) units of specialized equipment.