Russia has claimed that it successfully repelled multiple attacks from Ukraine along the front line, causing significant losses to the enemy forces. This statement challenges Ukraine’s assertion that they were making steady progress in a counteroffensive. Russia currently controls approximately 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014, as well as portions of eastern and southern Ukraine which it took control of in 2022.
Ukraine has been engaged in a battle for months, attempting to regain some of the territory lost to Russia. While they have managed to retake certain villages, they have encountered difficulties in making significant territorial gains against the heavily fortified Russian lines, which are laden with thousands of landmines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the efforts of military units in the east and south, as some breakthroughs were reported in Bakhmut and near the village of Robotyne. However, Moscow claims that its forces have successfully defended themselves.
The Russian defense ministry stated that their Southern grouping of troops, supported by aviation and artillery, repelled 12 attacks in the Donetsk area, while the Russian group of troops repelled five attacks in the Zaporizhzhia area.
Russia alleges that Ukrainian losses numbered close to 1,000 men within a 24-hour period of the battles. It should be noted that Reuters is unable to independently verify the reports from either side of the conflict.
Ukraine’s current focus has been on breaking through Russian lines just south of the city of Orikhiv in an effort to divide Russian forces and place their main supply lines in jeopardy.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
