As the war moves into its fourth month, more arms are being supplied by the West to Ukraine as it resists Russian forces looking to seize the country. The governor of Ukraine's Mykolaiv region said the artillery the West is supplying is a big help to Ukrainian troops.
The Mykolaiv regional governor Vitaly Kim said Wednesday that the artillery that the West is supplying Ukraine has been a big help for the Ukrainian forces in making gains against Moscow. Kim added that Ukraine will sooner or later be able to win back a significant portion of its territory.
Mykolaiv is already partially occupied by Russian forces and maintains some access to the Black Sea. Kim told Reuters that Ukrainian forces made some more progress in its counteroffensive in the Kherson region. When pressed if the Western weapons are making a difference in Ukraine's offensive, Kim said, "It is already happening…and we will have success."
"We are talking about artillery," said Kim. "It is already working in our region."
A good amount of the fighting is in the eastern and southern territories of Ukraine, and the fate of Ukraine's economy rests on the fighting that is happening in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
Kim explained that Ukraine will likely need more manpower if it wants to make major breakthroughs, such as taking back a part of the Kherson region, which is controlled by Russia near the Dnipro river. Kim said Ukraine will either free up troops in the east or mobilize some more.
Ukrainian defense ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said Friday that Russia is looking out for weak points in Ukraine's defenses near the Syverski Donets river in the east.
Speaking on national television, Motuzyanyk said Russian forces have not ruled out attempts to conduct storming operations in the areas.
Should Russia capture Severodonetsk and Lysychansk on the Syverski Donets, it will have complete control of Luhansk, which is one of the two provinces in the Donbas region that Moscow is claiming and which are held by pro-Russia separatists.
"Russia's strategic goal is the complete destruction of Ukraine…They won't let us live in peace," said Motuzyanyk. "The Russian Federation wants to completely destroy Ukrainian statehood and install a government it can control here."