UKRAINE has reportedly started its major counteroffensive against Russia, although Kyiv is only preferring to describe the heavy fighting along the frontlines as probing attacks.
NBC News citing a Ukrainian senior officer reported that a wave of attacks along the southeastern front appeared to represent a significant new push.
The outlet said that the officer spoke on condition of anonymity because the government of Ukraine has censored any comment on the counter-offensive.
Meanwhile, the American think tank “The Institute for the Study of War”, has announced that Kyiv’s counteroffensive has begun, and said that while its forces have yet to reveal details of their mission, it would likely consist of many undertakings at many locations of varying intensity and that it would not unfold as a single, one-time operation.
According to the think tank, the initial counteroffensive operations may be the most difficult and slowest, as they involve penetrating prepared defensive positions. Initial setbacks are to be expected. This phase may also see the highest number of Ukrainian losses.
This comes as the military of Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday that they have moved on the offensive in Bakhmut.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigugave an update on the heavy fighting on Thursday and enumerated the losses that the Ukrainian side had suffered from Russian forces. Shoigu said Ukraine’s 47th mechanized brigade, which composes of up to 1,500 men and 150 armored vehicles, launched an attack on the Zaporizhzhia front but then retreated.
As a result of 2-hour combat, the enemy lost 30 tanks, 11 infantry fighting vehicles, and up to 350 troops.
Thus, the specially prepared reserve forces of the enemy for this breakthrough failed to fulfill their mission.
The Russian defense ministry also released drone footage on June 8th showing what looks like a Ukrainian armored column being destroyed by Russian artillery fire, and some of the tanks seen in the video were identified as Leopard 2 tanks given by Ukraine’s Western allies.
Shoigu started his first in-person battle report on Tuesday, and, amid the intense fighting, Russia has also suffered losses with 71 killed, 210 wounded, 15 tanks, and 9 armored vehicles destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
However, Russia claims that Ukraine suffered greater losses with 3,715 men dead, 52 tanks, and 207 armored vehicles destroyed over the last three days.
At that time, Ukraine, however, accused Shoigu of spreading disinformation and said that its massive counteroffensive has yet to start.
Meanwhile, Western reports citing U.S. officials on Friday said Ukrainian troops met greater than expected resistance from Russia in their first try to breach Russia’s lines.
One American official described the losses as ‘significant’ as it includes the destruction of U.S.-supplied MRAP armored personnel vehicles.
Despite losses, American officials claimed that Ukraine managed to overrun some of Russia’s forces in the east around Bakhmut, still, Moscow has reinforced stiff resistance as they have dug into strong defensive lines that are said to be several layers deep in certain areas.
Russia’s defense lines are reportedly marked by minefields that have taken a greater toll on Ukraine’s armored vehicles but insisted that such losses will not affect the larger plans of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
