Top Russian Military Brass Inspects Troop Control Center Near Zaporozhye

Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after repeatedly delaying the campaign due to a deficiency of military supplies from its Western donors.

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov inspected the forward operating base of a grouping of troops in the direction of Zaporozhye, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

At the command post, the chief of the General Staff listened to a report by the group commander, Colonel-General Alexander Romanchuk, on the current situation, the nature of the enemy's actions and the fulfillment of combat tasks by Russian servicemen in the Orekhovsky tactical area.

Gerasimov also drew the attention of the group's commanders to the necessity of timely identifying the enemy, preventive strikes and counter-battery warfare.

Ukraine's counteroffensive kicked off in early June after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops kept trying, but were failing to advance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself admitted that progress was "slower than desired."