Russia announced on Monday that its forces thwarted a significant Ukrainian offensive at five locations along the front in the Donetsk region of southern Ukraine, killing hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops.
It was not immediately obvious if the reported attack marked the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that Kyiv has been promised for months to recapture territory seized by Russian forces following their invasion in February 2022.
Russia Claims to Block Ukrainian Offensive
Russia's defense ministry reported that Ukraine had launched an attack with six mechanized and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk, an area where Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would attempt to carve a swath through territory under Russian control.
According to the daily summary from the Ukrainian General Staff, there were 29 combat incidents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a cryptic message on Twitter, quoting "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode.
Per Reuters, Ukraine released a video depicting soldiers preparing for battle and reciting a rousing benediction last week, which was subsequently broadcast as a recruitment clip. According to a video published by the Russian defense ministry, several Ukrainian armored vehicles in a field exploded after being struck.
Russian forces killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, and 21 armoured combat vehicles. Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who is in command of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, was present in the location of the Ukrainian attack.
Videos of combat posted online allegedly showed Ukrainian armored vehicles exploding in fields near Velyka Novosilka, 60 miles west of Donetsk, but it was impossible to determine when the videos were captured or the outcome of the battle.
Sunday's daily report from the Ukrainian general staff made no mention of a significant offensive in Donetsk, but it did report 29 confrontations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and 15 airstrikes against enemy forces across the country.
Also on Sunday, the Ukrainian military released a video on social media showing a series of soldiers placing their finger to their lips to emphasize the need for confidentiality. In an interview published the same day in the Wall Street Journal, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that counteroffensive preparations were complete.
Ukraine made remarkable advances in liberating occupied territory late last year, but Russian forces have had several months to prepare defensive positions since then, The Guardian reported. There is widespread apprehension among Ukrainian forces regarding the human cost of a counteroffensive, as well as the realization that the cost will increase the longer Kyiv waits.
Zelensky stated that Ukraine did not have all the western armaments it needed to launch the counteroffensive, but that it could not wait any longer. He warned that "a large number of soldiers will perish."
Ukraine has prepared 12 brigades, or an estimated 60,000 troops, to spearhead an attack in which it hopes to demonstrate that it can force the Russian invaders, who number approximately 300,000 and have occupied a portion of Ukrainian territory since 2014, to withdraw.
In recent days, the Russian military has attacked Ukrainian air defense batteries, air bases, troop and ammo depots, military production factories, and battlefield positions.
While Ukrainian officials have refrained from proclaiming the commencement of their much-anticipated counteroffensive to reclaim more Russian-occupied territory, the rate of military activity suggests that the operation may have begun.
Ukraine Keeps up Pressure on Russian Forces
In the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Moscow claimed control of last month after the war's longest and deadliest combat, Ukrainian forces kept up pressure on Russian forces.
Elsewhere, Russians fighting alongside Ukrainian forces announced that they had launched new attacks against the Russian frontier region of Belgorod. The Russian Volunteer Corps, one of the groups, published videos on Sunday depicting an alleged raid and proposing to exchange prisoners with Russian authorities.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov responded to the prisoner exchange proposal with his own video, expressing skepticism that the captives are still living but expressing willingness to meet to negotiate a swap.
Later, the Russian Volunteer Corps stated in a video that there had been no meeting and that the Russian detainees would be handed over to Ukrainian forces, who have sporadically exchanged prisoners with Russia in one of the few areas of cooperation.
Gladkov reported additional Ukrainian bombardment of the Shebekino border district and surrounding areas. He reported at least two fatalities and multiple injuries on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the country's forces repelled an incursion attempt in Novaya Tavolzhanka.
Some observers view the attacks in Belgorod, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents by Russian authorities, as part of Ukraine's strategy to divert Moscow's attention and strain its forces to aid in the success of the counteroffensive.
On Sunday morning, regional leader Sergei Aksenov in Crimea reported a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Dzhankoi. Per WION, he stated that five of the assaulting drones were fired down and four others were jammed and forced to land, adding that no casualties were reported.
