Is Ukraine launching a counter offensive against Russia? Zelensky's comments explained

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken about the highly-anticipated counter offensive his country is expected to put up against Russia.

The move by Ukraine is expected to shake up the conflict. Troops have remained in stagnant positions for the past few months of the war.

However, Zelensky warned that it may not be as quick as some will be hoping for. He cited the need to build up Ukraine's military aid before making major moves within the conflict.

It comes as the UK committed to sending Storm Shadow missiles to the country. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that the missiles will give Ukraine the "best chance" of pushing against Russian aggression.

What did Zelensky say about a Ukrainian counter offensive?

Zelensky spoke about the situation at the Ukrainian parliament, stating that the country's combat brigades are "ready" to move to redrawn frontlines. However, he also revealed that troops are still waiting on the delivery of military aid in order for this to happen.

Movement from Ukraine in the conflict could considerably shape the war. Frontlines have remained stagnant for months, with plans to shift these in an attempt to unsettle the conflict and Russia alike

The president said that aid and equipment was arriving "in batches", with "some things" still needed to fully bolster Ukraine's position. Zelensky said: "We can go forward, and, I think, be successful.

"But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time."

Advancing at some point in the near future is key to Ukraine's counter offensive. Zelensky warned that Russia may be pushing for a "frozen conflict".

In recent weeks, fighting has intensified on the city of Bakhmut. Russia has been accused of using phosphorus weapons on the civilian area after footage of a bright white fire scattering over the city was released on social media. Heavy fighting in the Donetsk town has left considerable losses for both Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelensky also said that Ukrainian intelligence has showed that Russia has been hurt by the sanctions imposed by many Western countries, as seen in the battle itself. The Ukrainian president said: "They still have a lot [equipment] in their warehouses but… we already see that they've reduced shelling per day in some areas."

What did Zelensky say about the drone attack on the Kremlin?

Although fighting has stagnated on the battlefield, the past few weeks has seen attention on an alleged drone attack which infiltrated Russian defences in Moscow. The footage showed a drone flying into a Kremlin building in the Russian capital and creating a small explosion when crashing into the roof.

The Kremlin was quick to accuse Ukraine of the security breach, however Zelensky has said that he believes that the attack was a false flag operation.

He said: "They constantly look for something to sound like a justification, saying: 'You do this to us, so we do that to you,'"

"But it didn't work. Even for their domestic public, it didn't work. Even their own propagandists didn't believe that. Because it looked very, very artificial."