MOSCOW: Russia announced on Monday that it successfully repelled a “large-scale offensive” by Ukrainian forces in the Moscow-occupied Donetsk region, while Kyiv remained silent about its plans to regain lost territory. The statement came just before Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ peace envoy, arrived in Kyiv for two days of negotiations.
Ukraine has been preparing for a major offensive to retake territory lost since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the country in February of the previous year. Despite the buildup and reinforcement with advanced Western weapons, Kyiv has not made a formal announcement regarding the offensive.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov added to the speculation with a cryptic tweet quoting Depeche Mode’s song “Enjoy the Silence,” stating, “Words are very unnecessary… They can only do harm.”
Tensions in the Ukraine conflict have escalated recently, with increased attacks on both sides of the border with Russia. Military experts anticipate that Ukrainian forces will test Russian defenses for vulnerabilities before launching a full-scale offensive.
In the early hours of Monday, Russia’s defense ministry claimed that “the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front” on Sunday in the south of the Donetsk region. The ministry reported the involvement of six mechanized and two tank battalions but stated that the offensive did not achieve its objectives and had no success.
The authenticity of these claims could not be independently verified. Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots reported ongoing battles around Ugledar, as well as Soledar and Bakhmut, areas that had previously fallen under Moscow’s control. He suggested that the main Ukrainian forces had not yet engaged in combat.
Russia Withdrawing from Village in Bakhmut
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, declared that Ukrainian troops had gained ground near Bakhmut, and Russian troops were withdrawing from the village of Berkhivka. He challenged Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to come to the front, expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation.
Meanwhile, a Moscow-appointed official stated that Ukrainian troops were on the offensive in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, which houses Europe’s largest nuclear plant, under Russian control since the beginning of Moscow’s offensive. The situation remains tense, and the coming months are expected to bring clarity to the situation.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking in New Delhi, mentioned that the Ukrainian authorities would make an announcement “at the right time” regarding the ongoing operations in the Bakhmut area.
In another development, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ peace envoy, arrived in Kyiv for talks on the war with Ukrainian authorities. The visit aims to explore avenues for peace and resolution of the conflict.
The situation along the Russian-Ukrainian border remains volatile, with incidents of shelling, incursions, and cross-border attacks. Recent hacking incidents targeted Russian radio stations, playing a fake speech by President Vladimir Putin announcing an invasion by Ukrainian troops and emergency measures in bordering regions.
