The Kiev army succeeded an important opening in the Russian defense lines in southern Ukraine, one of its most senior generals announced to the British newspaper The Guardian.

“We are in this moment between the first and second lines of (Russian) defense,” the general said Oleksandr Tarnavsky, in charge of the counteroffensive in the south, in this interview published over the weekend, days after Kiev announced a symbolic victory by recapturing the village Robot.

It is noted that the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has increasingly rejected criticism of the alleged slowness of the counteroffensive launched in June to retake territory seized by Moscow.

“We are finishing it now destruction of enemy units who are tasked with protecting Russian troops when they withdraw behind their second line of defense,” said the general, whose troops liberated the (southern) city of Kherson last year.

According to General Tarnavsky, Moscow’s forces “had just stopped and waited for the Ukrainian army” and now redeploy their troops from the front lines inside occupied Ukraine – Kherson to the west and Liman to the northeast – and also from inside Russia, he said.

“The enemy draws from his reserves, not only in Ukraine but also in Russia. Sooner or later, the Russians will run out of the best soldiers. This will give us the opportunity to attack more and faster,” the general said. “Everything is in front of us,” he added.

General Tarnavskyi also explained that the Ukrainian military delayed its counterattack because “it took longer than expected to demining the lands” which the Russians had taken over. Demining had to be done mostly at night, he said.

The purpose of the attack in the south is to reach Sea of ​​Azov, some 90 kilometers away, cutting in the middle the areas of southern Ukraine held by Russia, and cutting off a critical supply route to and from the Crimean peninsula.

“Unfortunately, the evacuation of the wounded was difficult for us. And this also complicated our advance,” he added, admitting that Kiev had suffered significant losses. “The closer we get to victory, the more difficult this becomes. Why? Because, unfortunately, we lose the strongest and the best” soldiers, he explained.

“Now, we have to focus on certain zones and finish the job. It doesn’t matter how hard this is for each of us,” he added.