Russia says it thwarted major Ukrainian offensive, killed hundreds
Russia claimed on Monday that it had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, killing hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry and military did not immediately respond to written requests for comment, and Reuters was unable to verify the Russian statement. The success or failure of the counter-offensive is likely to influence the shape of future Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know:
**What happened in southern Ukraine?**
Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine had attacked with six mechanised and two tank battalions in the southern Donetsk region. Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would seek to drive a wedge through Russian-controlled territory. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success,” the ministry said. Russian forces killed 250 Ukrainian troops and destroyed 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles, it added.
**What has been the response?**
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov published a cryptic message on Twitter on Sunday, quoting Depeche Mode’s track “Enjoy the Silence”. His tweet said: “Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm.” Some prominent Russian military bloggers, including Semyon Pegov, who blogs under the name War Gonzo, reported heavy fighting early on Monday in areas controlled by Russia. Pegov said that Ukrainian forces are attacking near Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region.
**What is the counter-offensive?**
For months, Ukraine has been preparing for a counter-offensive against Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Saturday that he was ready to launch the counteroffensive, but tempered a forecast of success with a warning that it could take some time and come at a heavy cost. After seeking tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons to fight Russian forces, the success or failure of the counteroffensive is likely to influence the shape of future Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine.
**What led to the conflict?**
Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24 last year in what the Kremlin expected to be swift operation but its forces suffered a series of defeats and had to move back and regroup in swathes of eastern Ukraine. Russia now controls at least 18% of what is internationally recognized to be Ukrainian territory, and has claimed four regions of Ukraine as Russian territory. For months, tens of thousands of Russian troops have been digging in along a front line which stretches for around 600 miles, bracing for a Ukrainian attack which is expected to try to cut Russia’s so-called land bridge to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Ukraine says it will not rest until it has ejected every last Russian soldier from its territory, and casts the invasion as an imperial-style land grab by Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power. Russia says the war is escalating and says the West is fighting what amounts to a hybrid war against Russia which is aimed at sowing discord and ultimately carving up Russia’s vast natural resources.
Hundreds reportedly killed as Russia claims to have foiled major Ukrainian attack.
Russia has claimed its forces successfully thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the southern region of Donetsk, killing hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops. The attack has raised questions about whether this marks the beginning of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, which Kyiv has been promising for months, aimed at recapturing territory taken by Russian forces since February 2022. The Russian defence ministry stated that Ukraine attacked with six mechanized and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk, which Moscow had long suspected would be an area Ukraine would attempt to control. Ukraine’s General Staff did not immediately respond to the attack.