A Ukrainian soldier fires at Russian positions on the front line near Bakhmut. Photo: Ephraim Lukatsky/AP
Ukrainian forces on Wednesday launched an assault on three main axes on the front lines, reinforcing claims that a counter-offensive is in full swing.
Kyiv said its forces had taken territory from Russia during an attack on the flanks of the eastern city of Bakhmut.< /p>
At the same time, Russian sources claim that Ukraine has launched a new major offensive in the southern part of the Zaporozhye region, armed with tanks and multiple rocket launchers.
Analysts reported test attacks in the Luhansk region of Donbass, as infrared satellites also recorded rising fires in Kherson region.
The apparent aftershocks came a day after Ukraine accused Russia of destroying the Soviet-era Kakhovka dam, which released a torrent of water that displaced tens of thousands of people and potentially thwarted Kiev's plans for its counteroffensive.
Ukraine severely cut off communications related to counter-offensive actions.
Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky said that the people of Kiev are continuing their offensive on the flanks in Bakhmut. Photo: Roman Chop/AP
“When we launch a counteroffensive, everyone will know about it, everyone will see it,” said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, denying reports of progress.
However, Kiev openly declares ongoing hostilities around Bakhmut, a city that Russia captured after nine months of a war of attrition.
“Over the past day, we have advanced from 200 to 1,100 meters in various sections of the Bakhmut direction,” the deputy said. Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar.
—In the direction of Bakhmut, our troops switched from defense to offensive,” she added.
At the same time, increased activity was reported along the front line separating Ukraine from its Russian occupiers.
Russian military bloggers, some of whom have close ties to the Kremlin, reported that advancing Ukrainian forces used artillery and AFVs in a new attack on Tokmak in the Zaporozhye region.
«Judging by the actions of the enemy, one should expect a new attack attempt this night or morning,» the War Gonzo blog wrote on Wednesday in Telegram. from the Ukrainian Grad rocket launcher.
Ukrainian soldiers at the scene of fierce fighting with Russian troops in the Donetsk region. Photo: Irina Rybakova/AP
Analysts have long predicted that Ukraine's spring-summer counter-offensive could try to push south to cut the land bridge it had built. Moscow between Russia and the occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian military reports of progress around Bakhmut were the first since senior officials earlier this week denied that another phase of the conflict had begun.
Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, also said that the Kiev forces continue to advance on the flanks in Bakhmut as the Russian occupiers are reported to have lost ground.
“Our defense forces continue to advance on the flanks while the enemy is losing ground in Bakhmut,” he said.
The offensive was mainly carried out by fighters from the 3rd Separate Air Assault Brigade of Ukraine, which is part of the now famous Azov brigade of militants.
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The footage of their exploits posted on social networks apparently shows close combat as Ukrainian forces attack the trenches left by the Russians. north and south of Bakhmut, which Moscow claims was completely captured in May after almost a year of bloody fighting in what could have been a double envelopment of the city. the region of Bakhmut and the nearby city of Soledar, as well as to the southwest of the salt-mining city.
In a television broadcast on Wednesday, Ms. Maliar said that Russia lacked forces in Bakhmut and that it was bringing troops in from other positions.
She said that mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group had been moved to rear positions around the city , and more professional air assault units have been brought into battle.
“They don't have enough strength. We are now destroying a lot of enemy manpower, and we see that they are redeploying their reserves from the depths in order to maintain a strong defense,” added the Deputy Defense Minister.
But the Moscow Defense Ministry insists that they repulsed the attacks launched by Ukraine.
“The enemy did not reach the goal of the offensive, wedging into our defensive positions was not allowed,” the message says.
On Tuesday Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian Wagner mercenaries who led the effort to capture Bakhmut, said that Moscow would need at least 200,000 troops to stop an offensive targeting the city.
In the same broadcast, the military leader claimed that Ukraine had already “broken through” the Russian defense line in several areas.
Earlier this week, Ukraine launched a simultaneous offensive along the front line, but denied that this was the beginning of its offensive, and officials claim the reports were Russian disinformation to divert attention from its failures around Bakhmut.
Residents forced to flee floods
Increased Russian artillery shelling was reported as residents of the southern Kherson region were forced to flee flooding caused by the collapse of the Kakhovka dam.
Another potential environmental disaster emerged after the ammonia pipeline in the Kharkiv region began operating. releasing gas into the atmosphere.
Russian sources have released a video of what is allegedly a puncture in a pipeline that stretches more than 2,000 miles between Togliatti in western Russia and Odessa in southern Ukraine.
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Poisonous gas released from the pipeline could have devastating effects on the local population living on the front line separating Ukrainian forces and Russian occupiers.
Earlier this week, Ukraine said the line was damaged after repeated Russian shelling in the area of infrastructure.
In response, Russian forces claimed that the strike was carried out by a sabotage group belonging to the Kiev military.
The oil pipeline is critical to global fertilizer exports from Russia and could play a huge role in the deal to continue the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports.
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