ROME, May 25. /TASS/. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, claims that the much-ballyhooed counteroffensive by the Ukrainian armed forces is already underway, having started a few days ago.

"The counteroffensive has continued for several days now; this war stretches for 1,500 kilometers along the border, but certain operations have already begun," Podolyak told the Italian RAI 1 TV channel on Wednesday.

Focusing on arms deliveries by the West, Podolyak repeated claims that Ukraine intends to use such weaponry only on those territories that it continues to consider its own. Speaking about the potential transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, he maintained that they were necessary to "close the airspace," or create a so-called no-fly zone.

Numerous media outlets have been openly speculating about a potential counterattack by the Ukrainian armed forces for the past several months, with varying start dates being bandied about. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously stated that such forthright media speculation in Western countries about an impending Ukrainian counterattack effectively confirmed the direct involvement of these countries in the conflict.