Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukrainian forces have launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive and have suffered “serious” losses in an attempt to break through Moscow’s defense lines inside Ukraine.
“As the use of the Ukrainian military’s strategic reserve forces shows, we can clearly say that the offensive has begun,” Putin told reporters in Sochi, where he met with leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union member states on Friday.
“However, the Ukrainian army has not fulfilled the mandated tasks in a single combat field,” he said. “We have confirmed that the Ukrainian regime forces have suffered heavy losses,” Putin said without giving details.
“It’s been known that attackers take 3-1 losses, which is kind of classic, but in this case the losses are well above that typical level,” he said. added.
With virtually no independent coverage from the front and Kiev saying little about military operations, assess Putin’s claims and whether Ukraine is breaching Russia’s defenses to drive out occupying forces. was impossible.
Ukrainian officials are beginning to slowly roll out counterattacks after reports of escalating fighting in several areas along the front with Russian forces in the east, Ukrainian military analysts and sources said. denies or refuses to confirm whether a counterattack has begun. and southeast of the country.
The Institute for War Studies (ISW), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said on Friday that “various indicators” suggest that the Ukrainian counterattack has begun, adding that early stages of the operation saw “the largest counterattack.” It could be done,” he warned. Ukrainian losses as efforts are made to break through the front lines to protect the Russian army”.
According to the ISW, Putin’s direct reference to the Ukrainian counterattack was an important departure for the Russian president, who has maintained a “distanced approach when discussing the realities of the battlefield.”
The ISW said Saturday that the Kremlin has adopted a new information policy aimed at escalating “Russia’s fight against Western-supplied weapons systems” in the Ukrainian counterattack.
2/ Russian President Vladimir #putin On June 9, a Ukrainian admitted: # counterattack He recently noted that the Ukrainian military still has offensive potential, which he said contrasted with previous Kremlin efforts to downplay Ukrainian counterattacks. https://t.co/ilySwoUjWw
—ISW (@TheStudyofWar) June 10, 2023
Claims by Russia that the counterattack has slowed, made by pro-Moscow military bloggers who have focused on the destruction or damage to Western military equipment donated to Ukraine, are premature, the ISW said.
“Ukrainian officials directly admitted that they expect Ukrainian forces to suffer equipment losses during the counteroffensive operation,” the ISW said in its latest report. The ISW said earlier that the initial stage of the Ukrainian counterattack operation was likely to be the most costly and difficult in terms of loss of life and destruction of equipment.
“The military has long recognized that the infiltration phase of a mechanized attack is the most dangerous and costly, and the success or failure of this phase may remain uncertain for some time,” the ISW said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again praised the heroism of his army “to all those who have recently been subjected to a particularly hard battle” in a speech on Friday night.
“We see your heroic actions and appreciate every moment of your life. That’s just Ukrainian life,” he said.
Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Mariar said Russia was on the defensive in southeastern Zaporizhia, but the epicenter of the fighting was still in the east, especially in the Donetsk region.
She described “fierce battles” on Lyman, Bahmut, Avdiuka and Marinka.
Zaporizhia’s spokesman for the Ukrainian military, Valery Shashen, told Radio Liberty that the Ukrainian military is looking for weaknesses in Russia’s defenses, which Russia is trying to strengthen by deploying mines, building fortifications and restructuring. .
A Ukrainian military success in the Zaporizhia region would allow Ukrainian forces to break through the land bridge linking Crimea, annexed by Russia and Moscow.
It would be a major reversal for Russia.
A key component of any Ukrainian counterattack, if it unfolds, is expected to involve thousands of Ukrainian troops trained and equipped by Western powers.
A total of 12 brigades and a total of 50,000 to 60,000 troops are deployed in Kiev to counterattack. Nine of the brigades are armed and trained by Western powers.
Ben Barry, senior land warfare fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Ukraine’s priority in the early stages of the counteroffensive would be to try to unbalance Russian forces and gain tactical surprise through deception and camouflage.
The Pentagon also announced on Friday an additional $2.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
The latest package includes Patriot air defense systems, Raytheon Hawk air defense systems and missiles, 105mm and 203mm artillery shells, small hand-launched AeroVironment drones, laser-guided rocket system ammunition, and additional ammunition for training and maintenance support. I’m here. Department of Defense announced.
