The ruins of the abbey in Monte Cassino, Italy, after the victory in May 1944. Photo: AL
The pace of the Ukrainian counter-offensive has been compared to disastrous a position faced by the Allies in one of the bloodiest campaigns of World War II.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, drew a historical comparison between the lack of significant achievements of Kiev and the Allies. struggle during the storming of the ancient Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy.
“The counteroffensive is moving slowly, but it continues. The biggest problem we face is the strong defensive positions the Russians have built over the past year,” he told the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft view of Monte Cassino attacked by Allied bombers Photo: Hulton Archive
“It is not easy for our soldiers to move forward. But we will do it. I'm thinking about the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II.
“Initially, the Allies were blocked by formidable German positions. It took four months to overcome them, after which they were able to continue and liberate Rome. We're in a similar situation (but) I'm sure we'll win.»
at Monte Cassino Photo: Hulton Archive
The sixth-century Monte Cassino monastery was recaptured by German defenders in May 1944 after several months of fierce fighting.
British and Commonwealth forces fighting alongside the Americans and Poles suffered heavy casualties trying to dislodge the Nazi troops, who were exceptionally well-entrenched in the mountaintop area south of Rome.
Four separate battles resulted in the complete destruction of the centuries-old abbey, which was part of the German defensive line Gustav.
Once the Allies had broken the line, they were able to advance north towards Rome, liberating the capital on June 4, 1944, two days before the D-Day landings in Normandy.
A brief ceasefire during the conflict allowed the wounded to be withdrawn from the battlefield at Monte Cassino. Photo: ULLSTEIN BILD
Ukrainian forces are confronted by a similar strong defense line created by Russia, the Surovikin Line, which runs nearly 1,200 miles through Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Lugansk.
It has been two months since Kiev launched its long-awaited counter-offensive to liberate territory Moscow had captured since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to abandon the offensive, progress has been slow and little progress has been made on the front .
But his foreign minister insisted that time was on the side of Ukraine, not Russia.
“The time frame favors us for the simple fact that our military power is growing , while the Russian one decreases. We will win the war,” Kuleba said.
Ukrainian soldiers fire from a self-propelled howitzer at Russian positions on the front line in the Donetsk region. Photo: LIBKOS/AP
On Thursday, the General Staff of Ukraine said that its forces «continue to conduct offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Melitopol and Berdyansk directions.» .
Western analysts say Kiev forces have likely managed to advance east of Robotina, in the south of Zaporozhye Oblast, as part of an offensive.
The use of cluster munitions has given a «new impetus» to the counteroffensive, helping Ukraine capture Russian positions that otherwise they would have been inaccessible.
Cluster bombs, dropping dozens of small bombs, helped the Ukrainian platoon move forward. The Wall Street Journal reported that last month they were pinned down and planning to retreat.
Infantryman Alexander Pershin said the weapons were used to destroy tree cover. Russian.
In the southwest of Donetsk region, Ukraine was advancing on the Russian-held village of Urozhayne, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said.
Burning dead Russian soldiers
A well-known Russian military blogger reported that Kiev forces took up a position northeast of the village .
Ms Malyar added that the bodies of dead Russian soldiers were being cremated «almost continuously» near the occupied city of Melitopol as opposition to the offensive continued.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a Russian drone strike destroyed an oil depot in the Rivne region in western Ukraine.
This happened after a large-scale fire in the Domodedovo suburb of Moscow early Thursday morning, when two drones were shot down flying near the Russian capital.
The fire that engulfed 1,000 square meters broke out in a car service, according to RIA Novosti, a state media. publication, citing the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
Russia said it shot down two drones without causing any damage or casualties.
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