Ukrainians acknowledged: Our progress is hindered...

Ukrainian Governor Serhiy Haidai pointed out that the progress of the Ukrainian counterattack in the eastern Lugansk region is being slowed by bad weather and strong resistance from Russian forces.
"The progress of our forces is not going as fast as we would like it to go. The Russian forces had time to strengthen their reserve units. We see a lot of mobilized soldiers, including convicts. The Russians had time to mine large areas," Haidai said.
Just to reiterate that Lugansk is one of the four regions of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Russian territory in September.
Haidai said Moscow had sent "several thousand" mobilized units to Lugansk to slow Ukraine's counteroffensive.
"There are a lot of mobilized units in Lugansk, I'm talking about several thousand people. Around Bakhmut, there are several thousands and they are dying in large numbers. The Russians are sending units forward to locate our positions. They will not be able to break through, but they are still people who can pull the trigger," Haidai said.
He added that the Ukrainian forces are still advancing about one to three kilometers a day in some parts of the battlefield, despite the bad weather, which, he said, "is not contributing to our progress."
He said that the most difficult battles were fought around Bilohorivka. He concluded that the Russians are shelling the villages liberated by the Ukrainians.