Russia says it has thwarted a major attack on Ukraine

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1 hour ago

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption,

Ukraine had been planning a counterattack for months

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it thwarted a major Ukrainian attack and killed 250 Ukrainian servicemen.

There was no comment from Kiev and the Russian claim has not been independently verified.

The ministry said Ukraine launched an offensive in the Donetsk region on Sunday using six mechanized battalions and two battalions of tanks.

Ukraine promised to launch a counterattack, but on Sunday Kiev called for silence before the operation.

It is not yet clear whether the alleged attacks indicate the start of the offensive to retake Ukrainian territory from Russian forces.

“On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the direction south of Donetsk,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

The ministry said the Ukrainians had tried to breach Russian defences, in what Kiev considered the weakest part of the front line.

“The enemy did not accomplish its tasks and did not succeed.”

A published video showed an attack from the air on military vehicles. Moscow claimed that Ukraine lost 250 soldiers as well as 16 tanks.

Ukraine had been planning a counterattack for months. But she wanted as much time as possible to train troops and receive military equipment from the Western allies.

Officials in Kiev cautioned against public speculation about the attack, saying it could help the enemy.

“Plans love silence,” the defense ministry said in a video posted to Telegram on Sunday. “There will be no announcement of the start.”

The footage showed masked and well-armed soldiers holding their fingers to their lips.

There is a lot at stake because the government in Kyiv needs to show the people of Ukraine — and Western allies — that it can break through Russian lines, end the effective military impasse and reclaim some of its sovereign territory.

The claim was made by the Russian Freedom Corps (FRL), which described the announcement as a joint statement with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).

Both groups want to overthrow President Vladimir Putin. They oppose the all-out invasion of Ukraine that he launched in February last year.

The chief Belgorod official, Vyacheslav Gladkov, responded by saying that he had agreed to meet the captors of the men if the soldiers were still alive. But the fighters later said the governor “didn’t find the courage” to meet them and would hand over their captives to Ukraine.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the recent attacks on its border lands, but Kiev denies direct involvement.

Gladkov later said a power plant in Belgorod had caught fire following the drone attack.

There was no independent confirmation of the attack, but Moscow says the area has been a regular target of drone attacks from Ukraine.

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