It’ll take Russia around three years to reach Dnipro – Ukrainian National Guard Reserve Major

Major Oleksiy Hetman, a National Guard reservist and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“The Russians are unlikely to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region — it’s a long way off. Their troops are still inching forward in Donetsk, especially toward Pokrovsk, but the pace shows just how limited this offensive really is,” he noted.

Back in 2023, Russian forces declared plans for a big push in 2024. The farthest they’ve managed is toward Pokrovsk — and even in a straight line, that’s less than 55 km.

“So, in a year, with nearly half a million killed and wounded, the Russian army has moved just 55 km. Is that what you'd call a successful offensive? Doubt it,” Hetman said.

He explained that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are running an exhausting defense: they’re falling back, but dealing heavy damage to Russian forces. Around Pokrovsk, Ukrainian troops have launched at least four counterattacks, retaking lost ground and even pushing forward by one or two kilometers.

“We’re working in terms of square kilometers, not just distance. Compared to offensives in past wars, this current Russian push is extremely slow,” Hetman said.

At this rate, the NGU reserve major concludes, it’ll take Russia about three years to get to Dnipro.

• On April 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on protecting civilians from Russian strikes and the security situation in the Dnipropetrovsk region.