Latvian FM says Russian forces advance in Ukraine “at a snail’s pace”

Latvia’s Acting Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has stated that Russian forces advance in Ukraine “at a snail’s pace”, and it’s so insignificant that even comparing them to snails is inappropriate.

In a post on X, Braže said talking about the Russian army advancing at a snail’s pace is “an insult to snails,” Caliber.Az reports.

💬 “To say that the Russian army is moving at a snail’s pace would be an insult to snails. If a snail had started moving from Avdiivka in February 2022 and headed west, it would have reached Czechia by now, while Russia is still stuck in the Donbas. Ukraine has seized the… pic.twitter.com/hoUVDOBwnD

— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@Latvian_MFA) May 18, 2026

“If a snail had started moving from Avdiivka in February 2022 and headed west, it would have reached Czechia by now, while Russia is still stuck in the Donbas,” Braže noted on the sidelines of the Lennart Meri Conference on security in Estonia, where she discussed the situation on the Russian–Ukrainian front, sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.

She added that Ukraine has seized the initiative.

“[…] we must seize this moment and strengthen our support,” she stressed.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov