KYIV (Ukraine): Fighting raged Friday in southern Ukraine, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed Kyiv’s long-expected offensive was already failing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the heroism of his country’s soldiers, but made no direct reference to what some observers believe is the start of Ukraine’s bid to claw back territory from Russia.
“For our soldiers, for all those who are in particularly tough battles these days, we see your heroism, and we are grateful to you for every minute of your life,” Zelensky said in his daily address.
Ukrainian officials have said their forces are ready, but there would be no formal announcement when the counter-offensive starts.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it had already begun, after Moscow said it had repelled several Ukrainian assaults.
“All counter-offensive efforts so far have failed, but the offensive potential of the Kyiv regime still remains,” Putin said in a video, as Washington announced a new $2.1-billion package of military aid for Ukraine.
Moscow says clashes have intensified since Thursday in the Zaporizhzhia region, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which relies on the waters of the Dnipro for its cooling ponds.
These water supplies have been put at risk by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which has left 600 square kilometres under water in the region, with around a dozen killed and thousands forced to flee.
A Ukrainian military success in the Zaporizhzhia region would enable its forces to break through the land bridge that connects Russia with the Crimean peninsula it annexed from Ukraine.
That would be a major reversal for Moscow.
The Russian army has in recent months strengthened its front lines in the region, digging kilometres of trenches and fortifying defences.
The Russian army said it had repelled four attacks in the region, “carried out by forces of up to two battalion tactical groups, reinforced with tanks”.
The increase of fighting in the south has been seen by many observers as a sign that the counter-offensive is already happening, or is about to start.
Kyiv, however, said the main centre of combat was still in eastern Ukraine, while providing few details on the situation in the south. – AFP
