‘NO SUCCESS’

Hundreds of Ukrainians Killed in Failed Offensive, Russia Claims

It’s not clear if the attack was the beginning of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive.

Russia on Monday claimed to have stopped a “major” Ukrainian attack over the weekend that allegedly left hundreds of Kyiv’s soldiers dead. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on its Telegram channel that the Sunday morning offensive was launched at five points in Donetsk involving six mechanized and two tank battalions. “The enemy’s goal was to break through our defenses on the most vulnerable, in his opinion, sector of the front,” the ministry wrote. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.” Moscow claimed “more than 250” Ukrainian personnel, 16 tanks, and other equipment were lost in the failed operation. It’s not clear if the offensive had been intended as the beginning of a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive. While not directly addressing the Russian statement, Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications on Monday warned that Russian propagandists “will spread false information about the counteroffensive, its directions, and the losses of the Ukrainian army.”