Zaluzhny talks about what "pisses him off" and how to respond to the threat of Russians blowing up the ZNPP

This is the subject of a lengthy interview by the AFU commander-in-chief with an American publication. We tell you what this interview is about.

Zaluzhny stresses the need to increase the arsenal to speed up Ukraine's counteroffensive, He speaks to anyone willing to listen, including General Mark A. Milley, his American counterpart.

He says that although Ukraine's western allies have never launched an offensive without air superiority, Ukraine is still waiting for modern fighters to arrive. The promised US F-16s should not arrive in Ukraine until the autumn at the earliest.

Zaluzhnyy stressed that our soldiers paid for the de-occupation of every kilometre of Ukrainian soil with blood. According to Zaluzhnyy, the Defence Forces are advancing every day, "even if it is only 500 metres.

This is not a show. This is not a show that the whole world is watching and betting on or anything like that. <...>," said the AFU chief.

That is why it "infuriates me", Zaluzhnyy said, when I hear that the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the east and south of the country has started slower than expected.

Zaluzhny stresses that without full logistical support, these plans are unattainable, but they continue to be implemented. While progress may not be as fast as observers would like, he says that is their problem.

Over the past 16 months, Zaluzhny has had the formidable task of leading Ukraine's armed forces against the larger and better armed Russian forces, which still occupy about a fifth of the country's territory.

He has met this challenge in part by turning his soldiers into a modern rapid reaction force trained in NATO tactics and by getting rid of the overly centralised Soviet command structure that still existed when he first began training them.

Zaluzhny regularly voices his concerns to Milly, whom he deeply respects and considers a friend, stressing the urgency of getting more ammunition and F-16 aircraft.

He absolutely shares them. And I think he can help me out of those worries," Zaluzhny said, specifying that on Wednesday he told Milly how much more artillery ammunition he needs per month.

In these conversations, Zaluzhnyi is frank about the implications:

We have an agreement: 24 hours a day, seven days a week we are in touch. So sometimes I can call and say: "If I don't get 100,000 shells in a week, 1,000 people will die. Step into my shoes.

But it is not up to Milly to decide whether we get the planes or not," Zaluzhny said. - It's just that while this decision is being made, a lot of people are dying every day - a lot of people - in an obvious situation. Simply because the decision has not been made yet.

Although the F-16s will eventually be delivered, following President Biden's decision to support an international plan to train Ukrainian pilots, the lack of ammunition poses a serious problem.

Recall that in February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that "Ukraine's current level of spending on ammunition is many times higher than our current production level".

This means that the shells, which Zaluzhnyy said he needs, could become even more scarce the longer the war lasts.

In preparation for the counter-offensive, Ukraine has for the first time received Western combat tanks, including German-made Leopards. However, Zaluzhny admits that these tanks are not for show but for war, making them potential targets.

According to analysts, Ukraine has not yet launched its main counter-offensive. Not all of its specially trained forces have been deployed to the front lines, and those that have, so far, appear to be probing for weaknesses in Russia's defences.

Zaluzhny points to NATO's own force doctrine - which he says parallels Russia's - which requires air superiority before launching deep penetration ground operations.

And Ukraine, in turning to offensive operations, should follow which doctrine," Zaluzhny says, "the NATO doctrine? The Russian Federation? Or is that none of your business? "You have your own doctrine. You have tanks, you have guns, you have [combat vehicles]... You can do it..." What is this?

Zaluzhny has a screen at his command post that shows him everything in the air at any given moment - NATO aircraft on Ukraine's western border, his own aircraft in the skies over Ukraine and Russian aircraft on the eastern borders.

Let's just say that the number of planes that are on duty at our western borders is twice as high as the number of Russian planes destroying our positions. Why can't we take at least a third part from there and redeploy it here? asked Zaluzhny.

Because the more modern Russian Su-35s have a much more powerful radar and missile range, the older Ukrainian planes cannot compete with them. As a result, ground troops are easily targeted.

Nobody says that tomorrow we should rearm and get 120 planes," says Zaluzhniy. - Why? I don't need 120 planes. I am not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number is enough. But I need them. Because there is no other way. Because the enemy is using a different generation of aircraft. It's like if we went on the offensive with bows and arrows now, and everyone would say, "Are you crazy?" But on this issue, no, no."

Zaluzhny does not believe that the uprising led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's chief, gave any significant advantage to the Ukrainian counteroffensive. While some mercenaries may be leaving the battlefield, he is also cautious about the potential threat they pose if they move to its northern border.

Amid all these concerns, Zaluzhny remains unfazed by the threat of a nuclear strike by Putin. Despite warnings of a potential radioactive threat at the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, he remains true to his mission to regain control of the plant as part of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

We shall remind you that Zeluzhnyy warned last week that Ukrainian intelligence had received information that Russian forces were preparing a "terrorist act with a release of radiation" at the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

Zaluzhny was asked whether this could be a reason to give up trying to regain control of the plant as part of a Ukrainian counteroffensive?

This doesn't stop me at all," Zaluzhnyy said. - We are doing our job. All these signals are coming from outside for some reason: 'Be afraid of a nuclear strike. Should we surrender?