Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given his clearest indication yet that his military’s long-awaited push to liberate territory held by Russia’s occupying forces is underway, saying “relevant counteroffensive defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine.”
Speaking in Kyiv Saturday, the Ukrainian leader was asked to respond to comments by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who claimed Friday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has certainly begun — and was not finding success.
Zelensky shrugged off Putin’s suggestions that Ukraine’s armed forces were struggling and sought to apply some psychological pressure of his own.
“It is interesting that Putin was talking about our counteroffensive,” Zelensky said in response. “It is important that Russia feels (the counteroffensive), feels that they do not have much time left.”
Zelensky said “relevant counteroffensive defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine,” but said he “will not give any details about the stage it is at.”
Key context: After spending most of the winter embroiled in fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut, as well as training its soldiers and waiting for the arrival of Western military aid, like tanks and longer-range strike weapons, the last few weeks have seen Ukraine clearly step up military activities.
These have included shaping operations – strikes on targets far behind front lines, like fuel depots and soldiers’ barracks. And more recently, Ukraine’s military has conducted probing operations, designed to test the enemy’s weak spots as well as its combat readiness.
However, it is still far from clear that Ukraine has begun moving large numbers of ground forces forward in an attempt to recapture the swathes of territory held by Russian occupying forces.
Moscow’s battlefield reports: Russia’s Ministry of Defense is reporting further Ukrainian offensive operations along the front line to the south and east of Zaporizhzhia, at a level of intensity consistent with that seen since the start of the week.
Troops from the Vostok brigade immediately to the southeast of the frontline town of Orikhiv had repelled two attempted advances by Ukrainian tank units, according to a Telegram post from the defense ministry. One was near the village of Novopokrovka, the post stated.
In addition, it said two Ukrainian armored columns had been repelled near the villages of Novodanilovka and Mala Tamkachka. In the same area, Russian military bloggers said Russian troops in positions close to the road south of Orikhiv toward Tokmak were continuing to report extremely heavy Ukrainian artillery fire.
Further east along the front line, to the southwest of Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had made three further attempted advances, which it said had all been defeated.
CNN is unable to verify the Russian claims, and the picture is no clearer from the Ukrainian side. Officials in Kyiv have disclosed little information since they stepped up activities along the front between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk roughly six days ago.
