Britain supplied Kiev with missiles that could reach Crimea

Kremlin: Russian military operation in Ukraine is "very difficult" but it will continue

Putin listens to the governor of the Tyumen region, Alexander Moore, during their meeting at the Novo Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow. A.B

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian military operation in Ukraine is "very difficult", but it will continue. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country needed more time before launching an offensive against Russian forces, a report revealed that Britain had supplied Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow missiles that could reach Crimea.

In detail, the TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling a Bosnian television station the day before yesterday that the Russian military operation in Ukraine is "very difficult", but it will continue.

Peskov added in the long interview that Russia has managed to inflict serious damage on the Ukrainian military machine, and that this will continue.

TASS quoted Peskov as saying in a rare confession: "The special military operation is ongoing. It is a very difficult process, and of course certain goals were achieved within a year."

Ukraine continues to bomb the eastern parts of the country controlled by Russia, and Peskov said this showed the need to continue the conflict and push forces loyal to Kiev to retreat.

"We were able to hit the Ukrainian military machine a lot," he said, noting that Russia had launched countless missile strikes on what he said were military targets across Ukraine. "This work will continue."

The Russian-Ukrainian war began in February 2022, in what Moscow calls a "special military operation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his army needed more time to prepare for a counteroffensive aimed at repelling Russian forces.

In an interview broadcast by the BBC yesterday, he said it was unacceptable to launch the attack now because so many lives would be lost.

Ukraine's president told the BBC that Ukraine could attack and succeed with the equipment it already has. "But we will lose a lot of lives. I think this is unacceptable. So we have to wait. We still need more time." Ukraine receives advanced weaponry from the West, including tanks and armoured vehicles, as well as training its troops, as it prepares to counterattack.

A report by the American news network "CNN" revealed yesterday that Britain has provided Ukraine with long-range missiles of the "Storm Shadow" model, which can reach the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed to its territory.

For his part, a spokesman for the British government said yesterday, that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, had announced during a visit by the Ukrainian president to London last February, that Britain will be the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons.

Regarding the details of the matter, the spokesman said that British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace planned to make a statement on the subject before Parliament.

A senior U.S. military official said the missiles would "change the game" in light of the major Ukrainian offensive being planned.

CNN quoted several high-ranking Western officials as saying that London had supplied Kiev with long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles that have stealth capabilities.

In Washington, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Washington planned to crack down on Russia's ability to circumvent sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies after the Ukraine war.

The German government has submitted a proposal to the European Union that will further commit companies to efforts to combat circumvention of European sanctions on Russia.

EU sources said Germany's ambassador to the EU made the proposal during negotiations in Brussels on Wednesday. According to the sources, such a rule could apply primarily to the export of goods that are not only used for civilian purposes, but also for military purposes, including night vision devices and drones.