Russia claims to have thwarted a large-scale assault by Ukraine within the jap province of Donetsk, killing tons of of troops and destroying quite a few tanks.
Ukraine has not commented on the claims by the Kremlin’s defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov yesterday.
He mentioned Russian forces had killed 250 Ukrainian personnel and destroyed 16 tanks, three infantry preventing autos and 21 armoured fight autos. The ministry additionally launched a video which claimed to indicate among the destroyed tools.
“The enemy’s purpose was to interrupt by way of our defences in probably the most susceptible — in its opinion — sector of the entrance,” mentioned Mr Konashenkov. “The enemy didn’t obtain its duties. It had no success.”
In a uncommon particular point out of the presence of Russia’s high army leaders in battlefield operations, he mentioned the chief of the Normal Employees of the Russian Armed Forces, Normal Valery Gerasimov, “was at one of many ahead command posts”.
READ MORE: Anti-Kremlin paramilitaries declare to have captured Russian troopers
Asserting his direct involvement may very well be interpreted by the West as a response to criticism that Russia’s army brass had not been seen a lot on the entrance or had taken adequate management or duty for army operations in Ukraine.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned not less than 500 Ukrainian kids had misplaced their lives for the reason that conflict began. The United Nations says round 1,000 different Ukrainian kids have been wounded and hundreds of others have been forcibly deported to Russia.
Mr Zelensky wrote within the messaging app Telegram: “Russian weapons and hatred proceed to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian kids daily,” including that “lots of them may have turn out to be well-known students, artists, sports activities champions, contributing to Ukraine’s historical past”.
He added: “We should maintain out and win this conflict. All of Ukraine, all our individuals, all our youngsters, have to be free from the Russian terror.”
His feedback got here after Ukrainian authorities mentioned a soldier had returned to the central metropolis of Dnipro solely to seek out his two-year-old daughter lifeless and his spouse severely wounded after a missile strike that left 25 individuals injured, together with 5 kids.
Russian drone and cruise missile strikes on Sunday focused a number of areas of the nation, together with the capital, Kyiv.
The Ukrainian air pressure up to date earlier figures and mentioned that air defences had shot down six of eight Shahed self-exploding drones and 4 of six cruise missiles fired.
In accordance with the BBC, Ukraine has been planning a counter-offensive for months however has needed as a lot time as potential to coach troops and deploy army tools from Western allies. Officers in Kyiv have warned towards public hypothesis over the offensive, saying it may assist the enemy.
“Plans love silence. There can be no announcement of the beginning,” the defence ministry mentioned in a video posted to Telegram on Sunday. The footage featured masked and well-armed troops holding their fingers towards their lips.
Elsewhere, fighters against the federal government in Moscow say they’d captured some Russian troopers in Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine. The declare was made by the Liberty of Russia Legion, which described the announcement as a joint assertion with the Russian Volunteer Corps. Each teams need to oust the President, Vladimir Putin and oppose the invasion of Ukraine he launched in February 2022.
