Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin once again declared Kiev’s counteroffensive a “total failure” and spoke of an improvement in Russia’s positions in Ukraine. In the entire area of “special military operations”, as Putin officially calls his war, the Russian armed forces are improving their situation, the president told Moscow state television.
The Russian armed forces are in a phase of “active defense”, Putin said in a video released today. Fighting in the war zone continued. Ukraine is preparing new combat operations and offensives on individual sections of the front, the Kremlin chief said. Russia has been waging war against Ukraine for more than a year and a half.
Ukraine reports deaths
According to Ukrainian sources, two people died today as a result of Russian bombing of a village in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine. The General Staff in Kiev reported dozens of battles in the war zone. In contrast, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow reported shooting down 27 Ukrainian drones, most of them in the Russian border region of Kursk. The information could not be independently verified.
Ukraine, which has been fighting for its survival and independence since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, has defended itself with Western military support. In the current counter-offensive, it wants to recapture the territories occupied by Russia and has also achieved isolated successes. Russia annexed the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk and Donetsk in violation of international law, but does not fully control any of the areas.