AFU occupy favorable positions to launch counteroffensive in Svatove direction

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“In the Svatove direction, the initiative is with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Last week, we managed to de-occupy Novoselivske and take up more favorable positions for further development of counteroffensive actions. The Russian forces are trying to conduct attack and assault operations to find our weaknesses in defense, but the enemy fails to find such places. The enemy is getting a decent rebuff,” Fedorenko emphasized. 

Occupying Russian forces use drones to conduct reconnaissance and adjust fire, as well as strike at the Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions. 

“We shoot down enemy drones. The Russians tried to recapture the liberated town, but we unraveled the enemy's plan and defeated the  group of attack aircraft. The enemy is actively building a third line of defense outside of Svatove and realizes that the town will be de-occupied. The Russian troops don't give up and hope to regain influence in the Kupyansk direction, but are confident that it will not succeed,” Fedorenko noted. 

• Western delays in providing long-range weapons, air defense systems, and tanks have limited Ukraine's ability to use its capabilities to conduct larger-scale counteroffensive operations amid the Russian army's failures.

• The Russian leadership has not abandoned the new wave of mobilization, as the armed forces of the aggressor country are experiencing a shortage of personnel.