Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in rocket attacks while crossing the Dnieper River in a deadly counter-offensive, the Russian-appointed governor of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region has said.
The Iskander missile, which is a short-range missile traveling at hypersonic speeds, killed at the very least 30 Ukrainian fighters and wounded greater than a dozen others, Vladimir Saldo said on Telegram on Friday.
“The rest are hiding in cottages on each side of the bridge,” said Saldo.
The eastern bank of the Dnieper was the scene of heavy fighting for nearly per week as Ukrainian troops deployed to the strategically essential bridge area, reported CNN.
The deadly missile attack was the most recent high casualty incident in what is anticipated to be brutal months of fighting as Ukraine wages a counter-offensive.
The Ukrainian counterattack, launched last month, is anticipated to be protracted and “very bloody,” the highest U.S. general said on Friday.
![ukrainian soldier.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013455294.jpg?w=1024)
Ukraine’s push to regain Russian-controlled territory “progresses steadily,” although progress has been slower than expected, with Ukrainian forces advancing as little as a kilometer or less on some days, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the National Press Club in Washington on Friday.
The counterattack can also be expected to assert numerous casualties and has forced Ukrainian forces through minefields and trenches, Milley added.
“War on paper and real war are different. In an actual war, real people die,” Milley said. “Real individuals are on these front lines and real individuals are in these vehicles. Real bodies are torn apart by explosives.”
![Artillery strike](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013455176.jpg?w=1024)
Milley predicted that the counter-offensive could take months.
“It may be very long and very, very bloody,” said Milley. “And nobody must have any illusions about that.”
Meanwhile, the US is giving Ukraine “as much assistance as is humanly possible,” despite recent comments by Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny, Milley said.
Dedicated said Washington Post that he was still waiting for the F-16 fighters promised by Ukraine’s western allies, who he said would never launch an offensive without air superiority.
“I do not need 120 planes. I’m not going to threaten the entire world. A really limited number would suffice,” said Zułużny.
![Missile strike](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013454467.jpg?w=1024)
The Ukrainian general also said he “frustrates me” when Western countries indicate the slow progress of the counter-offensive, adding that he only works with a small fraction of the artillery shells that Russia launches.
Załużny went on to say he was in constant contact with Western allies, including Milley.
“We’ve got a contract: 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, we’re in contact” – said Załużny. “So sometimes I can call up and say, ‘If I do not get 100,000 rounds in per week, 1,000 people will die. Step into my shoes.
Nevertheless, Załużny said Milley is just not the one decision maker and any time wasted could mean more deaths.
“Simply, when making this decision, in an obvious situation, many individuals die on daily basis – rather a lot,” said Załużny.