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Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Ukrainian forces had launched a counteroffensive, but had suffered significant losses. Photo/REUTERS
MOSCOW – President Russia Vladimir Putin said that troops Ukraine had begun a long-prepared counteroffensive. However, according to him, the Kyiv military suffered significant losses in its attempts to break through the lines of defense of the Moscow troops.
“We can clearly say the offensive has started, as shown by Ukraine’s use of strategic reserve troops,” Putin told reporters in Sochi on Friday, where he met with other heads of state at the Eurasian Economic Union forum. , Saturday (10/6/2023).
“But the Ukrainian forces have not yet achieved the stated task in one battle area,” he said.
“We saw the forces of the Ukrainian regime suffer significant losses,” Putin added, without giving details.
“It’s known that the offensive side suffered a 3-to-1 loss – it’s sort of a classic – but in this case, the loss significantly exceeded that classic level,” he added.
With almost no independent reporting from the front and Kyiv saying little about its military operations, it’s impossible to judge Putin’s claims or whether Ukraine penetrated Russian defenses in its bid to repel occupying forces.
Authorities in Ukraine have denied or refused to confirm whether their counteroffensive had begun, although military analysts and sources in Ukraine stated that the campaign had begun to unfold gradually amid reports of increased fighting in several areas along the front with Russian troops to the east. and southeast of the country.
Moscow claims it has thwarted repeated attempts by Ukraine to penetrate Russian defenses in the Zaporizhzhia region to potentially try and cut supply lines to the south.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington DC-based think tank, said that “various indicators suggest that a Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun and warned that the initial phase of the campaign may also see the highest losses on the Ukrainian side.
