As reported by Russian authorities on Monday, Ukrainian troops were making a solid attempt for a second day to break the months-long battlefield stalemate and break beyond Russian defenses in southeast Ukraine.
More than a year into the conflict, anticipation has grown regarding a widely expected counteroffensive, and officials in Kyiv have confirmed that their troops are escalating offensive operations and achieving advances.
After Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian offensive the day before, Vladimir Rogov, a Russia-backed official in government-occupied Zaporizhzhia province, claimed combat had resumed on the province’s border with the eastern Donetsk region.
According to a report, Rogov believed the Ukrainian military was trying to get to the Sea of Azov shore and cut the land route for the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014. It would divide Russian troops and limit supplies to Crimea.
Moscow claimed that its soldiers had repelled major Ukrainian advances in Donetsk province, close to the region’s border with Zaporizhzhia.
While Russia claims it has successfully resisted Ukrainian offensives, an anonymous U.S. official stated they had no basis to think any Russian activity has a deleterious effect on prospective Ukraine operations.
Hanna Malyar, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, has claimed military success.
According to the report, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia are part of the four Ukrainian regions that President Putin declared Russian territory last October.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported success in repelling a large-scale attack in five locations throughout the Donetsk region. Independent confirmation of the statement was not possible, and Ukrainian authorities reported combat but did not confirm a withdrawal.
According to recent media sources, both Ukraine and Russia have blamed the other for the destruction of southern Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam, while the United States has said that it cannot decisively say what occurred.
In 1956, as a component of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the two-mile long and 98-foot tall dam was constructed on the Dnipro River.
The story is developing.
