Ukraine Launches Counterattack To Retake Territories, Volodymyr Zelensky Warns Russian Soldiers To 'Run Away, Go Home'

Ukraine Launches Counterattack to Retake Territories, Volodymyr Zelensky Warns Russian Soldiers To ‘Run Away, Go Home’
In the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive in the country's south, footage has surfaced showing Russian soldiers ducking for cover as they are fired upon while hiding in trenches. GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images

According to Ukrainian officials, as Ukraine speeds up its attack to recover Russian-occupied territory in the country's south, its forces have retaken four villages and broken through Russian fortifications at various places along the frontline in the Kherson area.

During his evening speech Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky similarly warned Russian soldiers to "go away, go home," and that "the occupiers must know we will follow them to the border."

Ukraine Seeks To Re-take Kherson

Nonetheless, one of his aides warned that the operation would be gradual and would grind the adversary. Russia's military ministry confirmed Kyiv's operation but said that Ukrainian soldiers had suffered terrible losses and failed terribly in their attempted advance.

The Kherson region, critical to managing Ukraine's southern shore and access to the Black Sea, was one of the first places to be taken by Russian soldiers when they attacked more than six months ago.

Ukrainian forces have made significant progress around Kherson in recent weeks, including the targeting of crucial bridges to impede Russian supply routes. Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military's Operational Command South, said during a briefing on Tuesday that damage to bridges across the Dnipro river meant Russian forces are unable to support soldiers on the frontlines farther north.

According to Russian official media RIA Novosti, which quoted a Russian-appointed local authority, Ukrainian forces also started an offensive on the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka on Monday, cutting out its electricity and water supplies. Vladimir Leontyev, the town's director of civil-military administration, the strike's repercussions will most likely be devastating, according to CNN.

Russia claimed to have repulsed the offensive and suffered severe fatalities in the Kherson area, the first major city to fall to the Russians in the six-month-old war. While independent verification of combat activity has been difficult, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence indicated in an intelligence assessment that many Ukrainian brigades had increased artillery fire in frontline regions across southern Ukraine, near to Kherson.

Kherson, with a pre-war population of almost 300,000, is an important commercial centre near the Black Sea. The port remains essential to Ukraine's efforts to maintain vital maritime access, while Russia sees it as a major point in a land corridor stretching from its border to the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.

Occupation troops have discussed holding a vote on annexing the Kherson area to Russia, as well as pressuring locals to obtain Russian citizenship and cease using Ukrainian money. According to Ukraine's presidential administration, powerful explosions persisted throughout the day and night in the Kherson area. Tough clashes are raging nearly everywhere in the region, as per Daily Mail.

Attacks Come as West Plans to Build Weapons For Ukraine

According to the office, Ukrainian forces destroyed weapons stores as well as all significant bridges across the Dnieper River that were critical to supplying Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian military reportedly claimed demolishing a Dnieper pontoon bridge that the Russians had built.

As reported by the Russian state news outlet Tass, explosions shook Kherson on Tuesday morning, most likely generated by air defense systems. In response to speculation of a significant counteroffensive, Zelensky stated in his nightly video address on Monday that "no genuinely responsible individual" will give information about Kyiv's intentions "because this is war."

According to Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Ukraine's second-largest city, at least five people were murdered and seven others were injured by Russian shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday. The incident comes as Western leaders announced plans to stockpile weapons to aid Ukraine.

"Our supplies are running low." "We are supplying so many capacities to Ukraine that we need to replenish our inventories," said Josep Borrell, the EU's senior foreign ambassador, on Tuesday.

The senior source also expressed optimism that the EU will set up a mission to provide military training for Ukrainian troops. As there has been no official EU-wide strategy, European nations have supplied Ukraine military advice on an individual basis, Independent reported.

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Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir putin
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