Russia says has foiled large-scale Ukrainian offensive, killed hundreds of Kiev's troops
Russian Defense Ministry says its forces have thwarted a large-scale offensive by Ukraine in the southern region of Donetsk, killing hundreds of Kiev's troops.
The ministry announced the victory in an early Monday statement without specifying whether the attack was the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, which Kiev has been promising for months.
"On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction," the Defense Ministry said in its statement, noting that Ukrainian forces attacked with six mechanized and two tank battalions.
"The enemy's goal was to break through our defenses in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front," the ministry said, adding, "The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success."
The statement went on to say that Russian forces had also killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops and destroyed a large number of their military vehicles.
"As a result of the skillful and competent actions of the Eastern grouping of troops, the losses of the [Ukrainian] armed forces amounted to more than 250 personnel, 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armored fighting vehicles," Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russia also released a video showing its military blowing up several Ukrainian armored vehicles in a field.
It added that Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who runs Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, was in the area of the Ukrainian attack.
The new development came after frequent announcements by Ukraine that it is preparing for a counteroffensive against Russian forces to take back part of the territory it has lost throughout the war.
On Saturday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal that he is ready to launch the counteroffensive, warning, however, that it could take some time and come at a heavy cost.
Analysts believe that after receiving tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons to fight Russian forces, the success or failure of any such counteroffensive would shape the future course of the West's diplomatic and military support for Kiev.
Moscow has frequently warned that continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war and add to the suffering of Ukrainian people.
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