UPDATED: Ukraine right to be cautious with counter-offensive, top NATO official says

BRUSSELS, July 3 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian forces is proving difficult due to landmines and other obstacles but Ukrainian forces are right to proceed cautiously, NATO’s top military official said on Monday.

“The counter offensive, it is difficult,” said Admiral Rob Bauer, a Dutch military officer who is the chair of NATO’s military committee.

“People should never think that this is an easy walkover. It will never be,” he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Ukrainian forces face defensive obstacles sometimes up to 30 kilometres deep as they attempt to break through Russian lines, Bauer said, drawing on a historic comparison to make his point.

“We saw in Normandy in the Second World War that it took seven, eight, nine weeks for the allies to actually break through the defensive lines of the Germans. And so, it is not a surprise that it is not going fast,” he added.

Satellite images reviewed by Reuters in April showed Russia had built extensive fortifications, trenches, anti-vehicle barriers and other obstacles to slow any Ukrainian advance.

Bauer’s comments echoed remarks by General Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, who said on Friday the counter-offensive would be very difficult, very long and “very, very bloody”.

Bauer said Ukrainian forces were right to be cautious to avoid high casualties as they probed for possible breakthroughs.

“It is extremely difficult, this type of operation and I think the way they do it is commendable,” he said.

He said Ukrainian forces should not face pressure or criticism for not moving more quickly.

“This is a very, very difficult time for them,” Bauer said.

Ukraine reports incremental gains in heavy fighting

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had gained some ground along eastern and southern fronts in the past week in heavy fighting with Russian troops, reclaiming 37.4 square kilometres (14.4 square miles) of territory.

Ukrainian forces were advancing in the Bakhmut direction, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said, adding that Russian forces were attacking in the Lyman, Avdiivka and Mariinka directions in the Donetsk region.

“Heavy fighting is going on there now,” Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine had reclaimed nine square kilometres over the past week along the eastern front “as a result of improving the operational (tactical) position and aligning the front line”, Maliar said.

In the south, Ukraine has regained 28.4 kilometres of territory, bringing the total area of re-captured territory along that front to 158.4 kilometres, Maliar added.

Over the weekend, Russia said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near villages ringing Bakhmut and in areas further south, particularly near the hilltop town of Vuhledar. They also reported success in containing Ukrainian troops in the northeast.

Reuters could not confirm any of the battlefield accounts.