Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told in an interview with the Financial Times that Ukrainian troops were tired after a six-day counteroffensive in Kharkiv region, but their morale was high because it was a sign "that Russia can be defeated."

According to him, the counteroffensive went "better than expected", and now the liberated territories should be protected from a possible repeated attack from the Russian Federation. The minister noted that the Russian Federation can attack stretched supply lines, and Ukrainian troops can be surrounded if they move too far.

The head of the Defense Ministry also said that the almost simultaneous counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military in the area of Kherson was developing more slowly, because it is an agricultural area with irrigation canals that the Russian occupiers used as defensive trenches.

Reznikov also said that Russian troops suffered heavy losses, and Chechen units deployed to strengthen Russian positions were used to prevent occupying troops from leaving their positions.