The Russian military operation in Ukraine continues today, Monday, in a new day of the conflict, which has entered its sixth month The Russian army continues to strike the positions of the Ukrainian forces and military infrastructureAnd the liberation of the Donbass lands, while Kyiv receives Western support and military equipment.
In the latest developments, the Russian Federal Security Service announced that it had thwarted a Ukrainian intelligence operation to hijack Russian fighters. And a Russian officer in the Federal Security Service told “Russia 24” that British intelligence supported its Ukrainian counterpart in the attempt to hijack Russian fighters under the supervision of the secret services of NATO countries.
This comes as the British Ministry of Intelligence reported that the battles in Donbass and Kherson are continuing but not decisive, stressing that the Russian leaders face the dilemma of defending in the east or attacking in the west. It also indicated that 300 Russian military vehicles, including tanks and personnel carriers, were damaged in Ukraine.
Repeated Ukrainian statements confirm that the authorities in Kyiv want to turn the battle from defense to attack by starting a battle to expel Russian forces from the Kherson region controlled by Moscow since The start of its military operation on February 24th.
At a time when Russia has pushed the bulk of its forces into the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, the battle of Kherson may be crucial to determining the future of the war.
The Ukrainian authorities in Kherson say that they will retake the area by next September, adding that the Ukrainian army has shown steadfastness during the past battles, and will move to counter-offensive actions.
The statements come following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that His forces are gradually moving into Kherson.
Ukraine The battle has already begun with bombing, as the vital Antonevsky Bridge in Kherson was badly damaged by Ukrainian bombing.
Russia says Ukraine used US-supplied HIMARS missile systems to bomb the bridge that crosses the Dnieper River and connects the Kherson region to Crimea.
Kherson was the first region to fall under Russian control when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Retaking it would be a symbolic and strategic victory for Kiev, as it would mean expelling Russian forces from a key area north of its stronghold, Crimea, and cutting off the Kremlin’s path to a future offensive westward along the Black Sea coast to Odessa.
The coming battle will be a major test for the Ukrainian forces to determine whether, given new Western weapons, they will be able to deter the Russians and liberate their entire territory.
Kyiv and Western intelligence have said Moscow is strengthening its defenses in the south in an attempt to deter any attack, while Russian forces have stepped up strikes on the nearby city of Mykolaiv, apparently in an attempt to stop any Ukrainian attack.
