UKRaine Targets RUssian Lines, as Counteroffensive Gathers Pace; UKR Launches Counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast; UKR Reports Heavy Fighting in East, Gains Near Bakhmut; UKR Repels RU Attacks in Donetsk Oblast, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

WSJ: Ukraine Targets Russian Lines, as Counteroffensive Gathers Pace:

Ukraine launched armored assaults on entrenched Russian forces in the southeast of the country, as a high-stakes counteroffensive by Kyiv designed to decisively shift the momentum of the 15-month war gathered steam.

Ukrainian officials said they were carrying out what they described as local attacks in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia and eastern Donetsk regions, while Russia’s defense minister said Moscow’s forces had repelled Ukrainian attempts to break through Russian lines.

The Ukrainian assaults, which used Western armored vehicles and units trained by the West, mark the initial stage of what military strategists expect to be a monthslong offensive aimed at ousting Russian forces from some of the nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory that they occupy.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive is a pivotal new phase in the war, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February last year in an effort to seize control of Ukraine.

The direction of the attacks suggests that Ukraine is probing southward toward the Sea of Azov, a widely expected effort to cut a land bridge that links mainland Russia with the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, a critical base for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have said they won’t announce the start of the offensive, but President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Wall Street Journal several days ago that Ukrainian forces were ready.

Ukrainian forces were attacking near the town of Orikhiv, seen as a jumping-off point for an assault toward the critical, Russian-occupied transport hub of Tokmak, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Thursday. Ukrainian forces were also fighting around the town of Velyka Novosilka in the eastern Donetsk region, she said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces had prevented a breakthrough by Ukrainian troops in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, north of Crimea, driving them back with significant losses.

Ukrainian officials didn’t give detailed comments on the results of the fighting, but accounts including photos and videos posted by Russian war bloggers appear to show small advances by Ukrainian forces at a heavy cost. —> READ MORE HERE

Western media: Ukraine launches counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

Ukraine launched its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia on June 8, ABC News reported, citing unnamed Ukrainian official sources, one of them supposedly close to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The hostilities are reportedly taking place in southeastern Ukraine, south of the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s troops include specialized attack units armed with Western weaponry and trained in NATO tactics, the Washington Post wrote.

Russian military bloggers also claim heavy fighting in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Kyiv’s advance south in this direction may sever the land corridor between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea, thus cutting off Russian supply lines.

On June 3, Zelensky announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were ready for the long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Russia claimed that the counteroffensive began already on June 5, adding that its forces had successfully repelled it without providing evidence. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Ukraine reports heavy fighting in east, gains near Bakhmut+++++

+++++Defense Ministry: Ukraine repels Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast+++++

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