Ukraine launches a long-awaited counteroffensive in the country’s south as Zelensky seeks to profit from Russia’s halted invasion.
Ukraine has launched a counterattack in the occupied territory of Kherson.
Recent attacks on Russia’s supply routes have weakened the adversary.
Russia swiftly captured large portions of southern Ukraine near the Black Sea coast.
The Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive to retaliate against the Russian forces in the south.
Today, the southern military command stated that the long-awaited maneuver had been executed, indicating Kyiv’s rising confidence as Western military aid continues to flood in.
Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesman for the southern command, was quoted by the Ukrainian state television Suspilne as saying, “Today we launched offensive operations in multiple directions, including the Kherson region.”
She later confirmed the news during a press conference.
Ukraine has been discussing a possible counteroffensive in its southern territories captured by Russia for the past two months.
Ukraine has initiated a counteroffensive to retaliate against the Russian forces in the south (pictured: Ukrainian servicemen in Donetsk yesterday)
Humeniuk stated that Ukraine’s recent attacks on Russia’s southern logistical corridors had ‘undeniably crippled the enemy,’ adding that over ten Russian ammo depots had been attacked in the past week.
However, she declined to provide any information regarding the new offensive.
“Any military operation requires silence,” she added, adding that Russia’s soldiers in the south are “quite potent” and have been amassed over a long period of time.
In sharp contrast to its failed attempt to conquer the capital of Kyiv, Russia quickly captured large portions of Ukraine’s south near the Black Sea coast, including Kherson, during the early stages of the war.
Ukraine has employed advanced Western-supplied weapons to attack Russian ammo depots and disrupt supply lines. Humeniuk stated at a press briefing on Monday that Ukraine had targeted more than ten such ammo depots in the previous week, adding that the strikes had “undeniably crippled the enemy.”
She declined to provide specifics regarding the counteroffensive, stating that Russian forces in southern Ukraine remained “very potent.”
Today, after a rocket attack on the center of Kharkiv, municipal employees pick up the wreckage of a destroyed building.
Sergei Aksyonov, the governor of Ukraine’s Russian-annexed Crimea Peninsula, described the Telegram announcement of a counter-offensive as “another fabrication of Ukrainian propaganda.” Crimea borders the region of Kherson.
The announcement was made as a team from the U.N. nuclear inspector was en route to Ukraine to investigate the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which was captured by Russian forces in March but is still operated by Ukrainian personnel and has become a flashpoint in the conflict.
Moscow and Kyiv have traded charges of shelling in the vicinity of Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which is close to the frontlines of the war and has sparked fears of a radioactive disaster in a country still traumatized by the Chornobyl accident of 1986.
The IAEA stated that the mission would inspect physical damage, evaluate personnel working conditions, and “determine the effectiveness of safety and security measures.” It would also “conduct urgent safeguarding activities,” a reference to radioactive material tracking.
Monday, the Kremlin deemed the IAEA mission ‘essential’ and asked the international community to exert pressure on Ukraine to alleviate military tensions at the plant.
To ensure that the nuclear complex is not a target, the United Nations, the United States, and Ukraine have urged for the departure of military equipment and people from the facility. However, the Kremlin ruled out abandoning the facility once more.
A Russian soldier launches a Kornet man-portable anti-tank guided missile toward an unidentified area in Ukraine.
Authorities in Zaporizhzhya are distributing iodine pills and educating locals how to use them in the event of a radiation release as worries of a nuclear catastrophe grow.
Earlier, the Ukrainian military claimed bombardment of nine other settlements on the opposite side of the Dnieper from the power plant.
Russian news agencies reported that the Russian Defense Ministry announced its soldiers had shot down a Ukrainian drone attempting to strike a nuclear power plant. According to the report, there was no major harm and radiation levels were normal.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claims.
Due to shelling, two of the plant’s reactors were disconnected from the electrical grid last week.
The Ukrainian national nuclear firm Energoatom stated that it had no new information regarding the attacks.
The Ukrainian military said early on Monday that Russian forces shelled military and civilian facilities near Bakhmut, Shumy, Yakovlivka, Zaytsevo, and Kodema in the Donetsk area of eastern Ukraine.
Sunday, eight civilians were murdered by Russian airstrikes in Donetsk province, according to the area’s governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Russia denies civilian targeting.