MOSCOW, June 11 (Portal) – Russia said on Sunday it had destroyed at least seven German-made Leopard tanks and five US-made Bradley vehicles in a 48-hour period while fending off Ukrainian attacks, despite Russian bloggers reporting Ukraine briefly pierced part of the Russian armored line.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted on Saturday that his military was engaged in “counter-offensive and defensive operations,” a day after President Vladimir Putin said Russia had repelled the first attacks of the offensive.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it repelled more than a dozen Ukrainian attacks in three main directions over the past day and destroyed a column of armored vehicles of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade in the Zaporizhia region.
“Over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have continued unsuccessful offensive attempts towards Donetsk, South Donetsk and Zaporizhia,” it said.
Portal was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side, but was able to confirm the location but not the date of a video showing Russian drones attacking Ukrainian manned tanks in the Zaporizhia region.
Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces broke through a section of Russian lines south of the town of Velyka Novosilka and briefly captured several villages while Russian forces retreated to higher ground.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhia region, said Russian forces subsequently recaptured the village.
Ukraine said it made gains near Bakhmut that fell to Russia last month.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released several videos and images in recent days showing numerous attacks by Ka-52 attack helicopters and drones on Ukrainian manned armored vehicles and tanks.
Footage released by the ministry on Saturday showed drones attacking tanks in the Zaporizhia region, where Kyiv’s armed forces have so far concentrated their counteroffensive.
Portal was able to confirm the video’s location two miles south of the village of Mala Tokmachka, Zaporizhia, using vegetation lines, cropland and buildings that matched satellite imagery of the area.
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge. Edited by Frances Kerry and Jan Harvey
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