Acts of war between Ukraine and Russia “Active fighting” broke out in the Zaporizhia region of southern Ukraine, while Kiev has been silent about the counter-offensive that has been in preparation for months.
New signs of the Ukrainian counter-offensive? Clashes broke out in the early hours of Friday, June 9, in the Zaporizhia region of southern Ukraine. “Currently, active fighting has resumed in the Orekhovo area [le nom russisé d’Orikhiv, ndlr] and Tokmak”, at the level of the current front line between Russian and Ukrainian armed forces, reported Vladimir Rogov, who is in charge of the Russian occupation. He did not give any further details. Russian public television correspondent Alexandre Sladkov, meanwhile, reiterated on his Telegram channel that “the artillery” was at work, followed by more than a million people. According to him, Kiev’s troops are on the offensive.
“There is long and hard fighting going on,” he wrote early this morning, adding that “the front line is stable.” He also praised the efforts of the Moscow troops: “The enemy is making incredible efforts, attacks.” In vain. ours hold. The frontline remains.” Unverifiable information from an independent source. The day before, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had assured that his men had repelled a Ukrainian offensive in the same region on Wednesday night, without giving any further details on the type and location of the attack. offensive.
Silence on the counter-offensive
Russia is eagerly awaiting the counter-offensive that has been announced by Kiev for months to recapture around 20% of its territory occupied by Moscow. According to Dmitry Rogozin, a senior Russian official, the Moscow army “repelled the first attack.” “But the enemy hasn’t deployed their main forces yet,” he said, while he said Ukraine had “600 tanks” in the area.
The Ukrainian army was silent about these clashes and did not report about them in its daily bulletin. “The enemy remains on the defensive,” said the Ukrainian command on Facebook, only on the front in Zaporizhia. However, he points out that out of more than 20 missiles fired by Moscow, he destroyed four X-101/X-55 missiles and ten drones. According to the command, these attacks were aimed at “military installations and critical infrastructure”.
The day before, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evgueni Prigojine, said that he saw the recent “offensive actions” confirmed by Kiev as “the beginning of a counter-offensive”. The Ukrainian general staff is silent about its real intentions and keeps its strategy vague, while its army is now equipped with modern and Western equipment. It is impossible to predict where and when the counteroffensive will take place – and whether it has already begun. However, according to observers, the Zaporizhia region could be a strategic point of the attack from which Ukraine could attempt a breakthrough towards Tokmak, a key logistical hub for Russian forces and the last key location with the occupied cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk.