“Heavy battles are underway in four directions” explains the Ukrainian military staff in a statement quoted by Ukrinform which reaffirms the start of the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive to reconquer the territories occupied by the Russians in the south-east of the country. The military leaders of Kiev explain that “there is fighting for every meter of ground”, particularly in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka “where the Russian units are concentrating their efforts”. In detail, in the direction of Lyman, Russian troops tried to resist the Ukrainian offensive, Kiev explains, but without obtaining results. As well as in Bakhmut where «the enemy tried to improve the tactical situation and conducted offensive operations in the direction of Ivanovsk, but was unsuccessful». The Russian military tried to advance to Avdiivka and Marinka, but even then, despite the shelling, the Russian response would have been unsuccessful.
The departure of the Kiev reaction was allegedly confirmed by at least four members of the military, including officers, cited by the Washington post. The Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, confirmed the operation underway, explaining on Telegram how Kiev’s troops are advancing in various areas even beyond a kilometer, maintaining their positions on Bakhmut, as reported by the Corriere della Sera: «Wagner’s mercenaries remain in the rear units – wrote Maliar – Currently, the fighters are led by the regular army of the Russian Federation».
Kiev’s reaction
Further confirmations came from the Russian army veteran, Igor Strelkov, a former officer of the Russian security services, who on Telegram said how clear it is now that the counter-offensive is underway: «Now we can reliably state that the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began 5-6 days ago». The same had declared Vladimir Rogov, president of the movement “We are together with Russia”, according to which the Ukrainian troops have been engaged in a large-scale counter-offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region for at least a couple of days: «Essentially, in my opinion, a attempted large-scale counter-offensive has been going on at your place, even four days,” Rogov told Russian TV channel Soloviev Live quoted by Tass.
The flood after the explosion at the Kakhovka dam
As the Ukrainian counter-offensive progresses, the crisis is growing in the southern region of Kherson, where last Tuesday the explosion at the Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam flooded dozens of villages including in the occupied territories of Ukraine. The flood has in fact redesigned the battlefield, with Kiev continuing to accuse Moscow of having blown up the dam precisely to slow down the counter-offensive.
Read on about Open