The Guardian

Kyiv attacks Kremlin’s lines in south as ’counteroffensive gets under way’

Peter Beaumont

A substantial Ukrainian force is pushing an assault against Russian positions in the south, in an intensification of fighting that some Ukrainian officials and western analysts said marked the start in earnest of Kyiv’s much-vaunted counteroffensive.

The combat against Russian positions south of Zaporizhzhia included western-supplied tanks and armoured vehicles and infantry backed by artillery. There were reports of intense fighting outside of the town of Tokmak, a key Russian logistical hub.

Asked about media reports that the counteroffensive had begun, a spokesman for Ukraine’s general staff said: “We have no such information. And we do not comment on anonymous sources.” Ukrainian officials, however, have insisted that they would not make an official announcement when the counteroffensive begins and have cautioned against focusing on a single area, suggesting it could involve a number of components.

Following days of heavy shelling of Russian defences, Ukrainian units were reported to have stepped up efforts to break through in the Orihiv-Tokmak sector, which blocks the route to the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, a key objective for Kyiv.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that German made Leopard tanks and US Bradleys had been pressed into battle along with scores of other armoured vehicles.

The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said Ukrainian forces from Ukraine’s 47th Mechanised Brigade, with up to 1,500 troops and 150 armoured vehicles, “made an attempt to break through” but Russian forces dealt the attack “a preventive blow”, although Russian military bloggers painted a far more nuanced picture. Images posted by the Russian military blogger Rybar purported to show Ukrainian armour immobilised during the assault, although neither those claims nor those of Shoigu could be verified.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian occupation official in the area, also told the RIA Novosti news agency that Ukraine’s forces were exerting “maximum force” against Russian positions in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia has long anticipated a Ukrainian offensive in this direction, building multi-tiered defences around this area of the frontline including zig-zag trenches, dragon’s teeth and other obstacles.

Claims that Kyiv is escalating efforts in the Zaporizhzhia area follow days of heavy shelling with fires

visible on Nasa’s Firms satellite monitoring system.

Appearing to confirm that a major assault was under way, the Ukrainian deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said that Russia was “actively on the defensive” in the Orihiv area of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Speaking to ABC news, two Ukrainian officials, including a source close to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, confirmed that a phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive was under way.

Ukrainian efforts appeared to be concentrated on the village of Robotyne, the Orihiv-Tokmak highway, and outside Orihiv itself. On Telegram, the Russian military blogger channel War Gonzo discounted early claims by some that the Ukrainian effort was becoming “bogged down”, saying it remained “too early to say”, and describing a “hard night” for Russian forces around Orihiv. It added: “It is reported from the scene that in the direction of Orihiv-Tokmak the enemy infantry continues to approach and try to gain a foothold. Enemy artillery and tanks are still intensively working on our positions.

“Our troops hold the line and do not allow a breakthrough of the front, destroying enemy manpower and equipment. According to information from the field, our fighters managed to knock out a tank similar to the Leopard, but it is still impossible to identify the destroyed equipment for certain.”

Other Russian sources spoke of an assault with armour and infantry on Robotyne, with both Ukrainian and Russian aviation active and strikes reported on Tokmak itself yesterday.

World

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2023-06-09T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-09T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://guardian.pressreader.com/article/281960317151230

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