Russia in numbers maintains the advantage in the sea and air, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook.
He said “the intensity of fighting has temporarily dropped” due to Russia’s heavy losses in trying to occupy the country.
Still, Reznikov still said invading forces “are trying to concentrate their strength and means for a new wave of attacks,” foremost in advancing on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mykolayiv.
However, “Russian troops will be severely rebuffed everywhere,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24 ordered a fuller-scale invasion as part of an ongoing war he has waged on the neighboring country since 2014.
Ukraine’s military estimates that more than 11,000 Russian troops have been killed so far. Kyiv isn’t disclosing its military casualty figures.
More than 1.7 million people have so far fled the country to escape the fighting and indiscriminate Russian shelling of civilian areas, according to the UN.
Reznikov also cryptically said that additional weapons coming from abroad will be “a surprise for the enemy,” without specifying what is being shipped.
He did say that “we are working on receiving assistance in the field of air defense and missile defense from partners,” adding that 50,000 armored vests and helmets have also been ordered.
“I will not comment on the supply of weapons and ammunition – this is a delicate moment. Let the enemy be surprised,” Reznikov said.
He praised the defense around the southern port city of Mykolayiv and contract soldiers defending Kharkiv, the nation’s second largest city, as well as settlements in the easternmost region of Luhansk.
