Defence Council Secretary rejects claims that counter-offensive started, but states that Ukraine's Armed Forces are ready

Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), has rejected the suggestion that the counter-offensive of Ukraine’s Armed Forces aimed at liberating the territories occupied by Russia has already begun but stated that Ukrainian fighters are ready to attack.

Source: Danilov in an interview with BBC

Details: Danilov rejected suggestions that a counter-offensive had begun, saying that "demolishing Russian control centres and Russian military equipment" had been the task of the Ukraine’s Armed Forces since 24 February 2022, when Russia launched the invasion.

Answering the question of whether the Ukraine’s Armed Forces are ready for an offensive, he said: "We are always ready. The same as we were ready to defend our country at any time".

Danilov added that the counter-offensive could be started "tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week".

Quote from Danilov: "It would be weird if I were to name dates of the start of that or those events. That cannot be done…. We have a very responsible task before our country. And we understand that we have no right to make a mistake…

We have to understand that that historic opportunity that is given to us – by God – to our country we cannot lose, so we can truly become an independent, big European country."

Background: Mykhailo Podoliak, Advisor to the Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, has said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive has been going on for several days now. Later, he added that the counter-offensive cannot start "at a specific hour of a specific day by cutting the red tape".

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