KYIV, 04 June 2022, (TON): Governor told media “Ukraine’s embattled eastern region of Donetsk will not fall quickly to Russia’s assault, but it needs the world to supply more weapons to keep the offensive at bay.”

Russian troops are poised just 15 km north of Sloviansk, the second biggest Ukrainian-controlled city in Donetsk region, said Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Seizing the regions of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk is a key Russian military objective.

While Russia is close to capturing full control of Luhansk region, just under 50 percent of Donetsk region still remains in Ukrainian hands, Kyrylenko said “a sign of how far Russia is from achieving its aim of controlling all the lands known as the Donbas.”

The regional governor said in an online interview “I am sure that they will not advance quickly. In the longer term, it all depends on the concentration of our forces.”

Kyrylenko said he hoped the new supply of US weapons announced on Wednesday, which includes multiple rocket launch systems, would allow Ukraine to conduct effective counter-offensives, but he emphasized that the support should not stop there.