Top Putin ally says Russia’s military operation in Ukraine had been slower than expected
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February in an operation officials referred to as ‘demilitarisation’ of Ukraine
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A top Russian official, considered to be a close ally of president Vladimir Putin, has said the invasion of Ukraine is not proceeding as quickly as the Kremlin wanted.
“I would like to say that yes, not everything is going as fast as we would like,” said National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov, who was once in charge of Mr Putin’s personal security, reported Reuters.
“...But we are going towards our goal step by step and victory will be for us, and this icon will protect the Russian army and accelerate our victory.”
Mr Zolotov now leads the National Guard, an internal military force that includes the riot police and other forces and answers directly to Mr Putin.
The National Guard also has forces deployed in Ukraine.
Mr Zolotov made the comments at a church service led by Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Sunday, which were then posted on the National Guard’s website.
He repeated the accusation routinely made by Russian officials that the slower than expected progress was due to far-right Ukrainian forces hiding behind civilians.
His comments come just days after Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu informed Mr Putin on Friday that “everything is going according to plan.”
On 24 February, Russia had announced what it called a full-scale military operation in Ukraine that aimed to ensure a “demilitarisation” of Ukraine, as well as to “de-Nazify” the country, according to Mr Putin who had also warned the west against any interference.
After 20 days of war, fierce fighting has continued in Ukraine, including in major cities, forcing at least 2.5 million people to flee their homes.
However, US officials have claimed Russian troops haven’t been able to progress as easily through Ukraine as they had expected.
Earlier on Monday, a senior US defence official said there were no “appreciable” change on advances on Ukrainian capital Kyiv or the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, but added that Mariupol was “isolated”.
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff, however, said on Tuesday that the country’s military had defeated Russia’s attempts to take the port city of Mariupol.
Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns also claimed Russian military deaths have been “far in excess” of what Mr Putin and his generals expected.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here.
To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments