Russia 👍on Monday said t🌳hat it foiled two large Ukrainian attacks in two provices illegally annexed by it.
Ukraine did not confirm th💦e alleged attacks. It is not yet clear if these alleged attacks actually happened and if they marked the start of anಌ anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
For several weeks, a counteꦗr-offensive by the Ukrainian military has been expected to retake thꦛe Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Ukraine often waits until the completion of its military operations to confirm its actions, imposing news blacဣkouts in the inteꦬrim.
What did Russia claim?
Russia claimed that the attacks took place in Zaporizhzh𒅌ia and Donetsk provinces, which were among the four provinces ꦜillegally annexed by Russia last year.
Russia's Defence Ministry said in a rare early morning video released Monday that its forces pushed back a "large scale" assault Sunday at five points in southern Ukraine's Donetsk province, one of four regions that President Vladimir Putin claimed as Russian territory last fall but𝓡 is only partially controlled by Moscow.
Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, "The enemy's goal🎉 was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front. The enemy did not achieve its tasks. It had no success."
Konashenkov said 250 Ukrainian personnel were killed, and 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry f⛄ighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles were destroyed.
Vladimir Rogov, a Moscow-installed official in southeast Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia province, said Sunday that Kyiv's forces also attempted to breach Russian defenses there but were repelled after advancing 400 meters (less than a quar💮ter-mile) into Russian-occupied territory.
Active hostilities resumed early Monday, Rogov said, adding that "the enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday." The new attempt to break through the front line was "more 🃏large-scale and organised", he said, adding that "a battle is underway".
Ukraine does not confirm attacks
Ukrainian officials did not confirm the attacks. The Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine s🍨aid on Telegram that Russian forces were “stepping up their inform𝕴ation and psychological operations.”
"In order to demoralize Ukrainians and mislead the community (including their own population), Russian propagandists will spread false information about the counteroffensive, its directions and the losses of the Ukrainian army. Even if there is no counteroffensive," a statement onཧ Telegram re🎀ad.
Ukraine often waits until the completion of its military operations to confirm its actions, imposing news blackouts in the interim. The Russian Defe♏nse Ministry said the alleged Donetsk attack started Sunday morning, and it waꦡs unclear why it waited until Monday to announce it.
Lack of clarity over counter-offensive
For months, Ukrainia🐓n officials have spoken of plans to launch a spring counteroffensive to reclaim territory Russia has occupied since invading the country on Feb. 24, 2022, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014.
But they've ๊given confusing signals about whether preliminary, limited♏ attacks to weaken Russian forces and military facilities would mark the start of the campaign, or only a full-fledged simultaneous assault across the entire 1,100-kilometer (684-mile) frontline.
At least two factors have been at play in the timing: the improvement of ground conditions for troop and equipment movement after the winter, and the deployment of more advanced West🐭ern weapons and training 🐻of Ukrainian troops to use them.
The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Ukraine used six mechanized and two tank battalions in the attack. The ministry released a video claiming to show destruction of some of the equipment in a fie༒ld.
In a rare specific mention of the presence of Russia's top military leaders in battl��efield operations, Konashenkov saiꦯd the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, "was at one of the forward command posts".
A🎉nnouncing Gerasimov's direct involvement could be a response to criticism by some Russian military bloggers and by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russian mercenary group Wagner, that Russia's military brass hasn't been visible enough at the front or taken sufficient control or responsibility for their country's military operations in Ukraine.
(With AP inputs)
