2023-06-12 08:33:37
- reporter, Matt Murphy
- reporter, BBC News
Ukrainian authorities claimed on the 11th (local time) that they had recaptured three villages in the southeast Donetsk region as the first victory in the long-awaited counteroffensive.
In the video posted on social media, Ukrainian troops are celebrating victories in Vlahodatne and Neskukhne near Donetsk region.
Hannah Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, also explained that nearby Makarivka was also recaptured.
Ukraine had previously predicted a counterattack once morest Russia, but on the 10th, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that it was correct to launch a counterattack.
It is true that the three villages mentioned this time were the first to be recaptured following President Zelensky confirmed the counterattack, but they were not the first to be recaptured since the 5th, when some Ukrainian forces began to advance in the southern region.
Meanwhile, Russia, instead of acknowledging that the region had been handed over to Ukraine, said it was repelling an attack by Ukrainian forces in the region.
Ukraine also claimed that Russia blew up another dam in the southeastern province of Zaporizhia following the destruction of the Kahouka dam in southern Kherson province on the 5th, causing extensive flooding and forcing several residents to flee.
Regarding this, President Zelensky explained that regarding 4,000 residents have been evacuated so far.
The area where the dam is located has been occupied by Russia since February last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukrainian military spokesman Valery Shershen accused the Russians of blowing up a dam near Novodariyuka in Zaporizhzhya, “causing a flood”. He added that Russia was intentionally blowing up dams in the region to block the advance of Ukrainian troops to retake the territory.
On the other hand, the Russian side denied the theory behind the Kahouka Dam explosion, and rather accused Ukraine of doing it.
“Ukrainian flag waving once more”
According to a video posted on a pro-Ukrainian social media account, Ukrainian troops hoist the Ukrainian flag outside a burned-out building in Vlahodatne.
In addition, in the video uploaded by the border guards, the Ukrainian military is shouting, “Glory to Ukraine,” saying, “The Ukrainian flag has been flown once once more over Neskukhne in Donetsk.”
A video posted on social media claiming to be the re-raising of the Ukrainian flag in the Neskukhne region of Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Maliar claimed that Macariuca was also recaptured through a telegram video, and evaluated it as the first local victory of the counterattack operation.
As such, the recapture of the three villages is the biggest achievement of the Ukrainian military in recent years, but these villages are relatively small. For example, before the war, the population of Blahodatne was only regarding 1,000.
However, as it lies on the road leading to Mariupol, a major port city on the Azov Sea, the area has been the center of intense fighting in recent days. In response, some experts analyzed that Ukraine may seek to recapture Mariupol in the coming months.
There is also speculation that Ukraine may be trying to isolate Russian troops stationed in Crimea by severing land links between Crimea and Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are also known to have advanced further east, near Bakhmut, which was left in ruins following a long and fierce battle between the two sides.
On the 12th, Ukraine’s General Staff explained that there had been 25 clashes over the past day.
But senior Ukrainian officials declined to comment on specific plans for the advance.
Kirilo Budanov, the enigmatic director of Ukrainian intelligence, posted a video on the 11th repeating the phrase “plans like silence (plans carried out secretly succeed)” as if this counterattack operation symbolizes secrecy. .
As such, the scope of Ukraine’s counterattack is still unclear, but on the 10th, the think tank ‘American Institute of War (ISW)’ announced that Ukrainian forces were conducting attacks in at least four frontline areas.
It is not that the Ukrainian army has also suffered damage once morest Russia. For example, several Ukrainian soldiers mentioned in an interview with AFP that they had lost several new American-made Bradley armored vehicles in a clash in southeast Zaporizhia on the 8th.
They explained that six of the nine planes were damaged, adding that they were afraid that someone might have leaked information related to the counterattack plan.
Experts also highlighted the difficulties Ukraine faces in breaking through the defenses that Russia has strengthened over the past few months.
However, it is known that the Ukrainian army broke through the Russian front by deploying German-made armored vehicles, such as the Leopard 2, in areas other than Zaporozhye over the weekend.
Meanwhile, in the Belgorod region in southwestern Russia, which borders Ukraine, a freight train derailed on the night of the 10th and rail traffic was stopped. Belgorod has also been under cross-border airstrikes, including drone strikes and shelling, over the past few weeks.
Governor Vladislav Sharpsya of the Kaluga region, a little further north of Belgorod, claimed there were two drone crashes, one near the village of Strelkovka and one in the nearby forest.
The claim has not been independently verified by the BBC.
Additional reporting: Paul Adams
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