A Ukrainian soldier fires a grenade launcher at Russian positions on the front line near Bakhmut.
(Photo: dpa)
Riga According to various reports, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is gaining momentum. Military analysts at the Washington-based Institute for War Research (ISW) reported Friday morning that Ukraine had conducted counteroffensive operations, with mixed results. These operations are part of a broader counteroffensive that ISW said has been underway since last Sunday.
According to the experts, Ukraine has made tactical gains in the Donetsk Oblast, for example, and Ukrainian troops have also attacked in the west of the Zaporizhia region, but at the time of the report they had not made any gains. The ISW also reports that Ukraine lost some military vehicles provided by the West on Thursday.
However, such losses are “inevitable in any military endeavor”. The Ukrainian armed forces would suffer losses in offensive operations, including “both Western and Soviet equipment,” the analysts said.
According to military analyst Niklas Masuhr, who researches at ETH Zurich, Ukraine’s offensive efforts have recently “shifted up a few gears”. The focal points of the announced counter-offensives are assumed to be from the north in Zaporizhia and in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Since yesterday, the US newspapers Washington Post and the New York Times have also reported that the counter-offensive has already begun. The New York Times cited three high-ranking US government officials, and the Washington Post cited four unnamed Ukrainian military sources.
Zelensky praises Ukrainian troops for ‘results’ of their efforts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave only vague reports on Friday about the latest fighting against Russian attacking troops, the Ukrainian side had previously rejected reports about the start of the counter-offensive. He said he was in contact with Ukrainian units in “all the hottest places” and praised them for the “results” of their efforts, but didn’t elaborate. The statement could be interpreted as an allusion to the counter-offensive. Zelensky also said in the video that the time has not yet come to reveal details of the fighting.
>> Read here: Start of Ukrainian counteroffensive: Ukrainian military rejects reports
However, both Russian and Ukrainian authorities reported heavy fighting in the east of the country in the Donetsk region. There were also reports from the Russian side of intense fighting in the Zaporizhia region in the south of the country.
The government in Moscow presented the latest development as a large-scale counteroffensive by Ukraine and emphasized that it would be repelled. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar spoke of Russian attacks that would be repelled. Ukraine accuses Russia of spreading misinformation about the counteroffensive.
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson Oblast and the resulting flooding had led to debates about the impact on the announced counter-offensive. ETH researcher Masuhr is of the opinion that the destruction of the dam will have little immediate impact on the military course of the war. “It is rather unlikely that Ukraine planned to cross the Dnipro as an important offensive axis,” he told the German Press Agency.
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Both sides also hold each other responsible for the destruction of the dam, although the dam is in territory controlled by Russian occupying forces. On Friday, Ukraine’s internal intelligence service said it had recorded a phone conversation proving Russia’s responsibility for the dam demolition. The information cannot be independently verified at this time. The number of reported fatalities has now risen to 16.
Outcome of counter-offensive could affect future arms shipments
After the Ukrainian armed forces were able to liberate large previously occupied areas, including the city of Cherson, in late summer and autumn last year, the country’s international partners have high expectations of the counteroffensive. In the past few weeks, high-ranking members of the government have repeatedly warned against this background that hopes are too high. After Ukraine received billions in military aid from the West, the success or failure of the counter-offensive is considered a factor in deciding on further aid.
With agency material.
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