At the beginning of June, kyiv quietly began its counter-offensive, with which it hopes to recover the territories that were taken from it by Moscow since February of last year. The result of this operation has been positive, as reported by the Ukrainian forces. However, the clashes have left heavy human losses, while the fighting intensifies. In other news, ‘The New York Times’ published an investigation highlighting that there is evidence that suggests Russia’s responsibility for the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam.
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Just 15 days after Ukraine began its announced counteroffensive, some progress has been reported, such as the retaking of eight settlements that were taken from it by Russian forces.
Progress that has been slowly recognized by Russia, after Vladimir Rogov, Russian representative in Zaporizhia, recognized the loss of “operational control” of a town in the disputed area.
“By filling the western approaches and suburbs of Piatikhatki with the corpses of hundreds of its military, the enemy managed to take it under operational control,” Rogov wrote on Telegram.
Moscow’s representative said his forces are being deployed to prevent the Ukrainian army from making further progress in its bid to recapture territories it has lost control of for more than a year.
Ukraine has also reported progress in some villages in the Donetsk region, close to Zaporizhia, the Donbass and the Crimean peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed the losses, but has admitted that the fighting has become heavier, mainly on the Zaporizhia front.
A ferocious counteroffensive and excessive violence
The Russian troops assure that they repel all the attacks and reported that the Ukrainian side had “more than 200 military losses and 33 tanks” in just one day.
A British intelligence report confirms the severity of the fighting in Zaporizhia, Donetsk and around the disputed city of Bakhmut.
“In these areas, Ukraine continues offensive operations and has made little progress,” London said.
For its part, Ukraine has reported that, on average, the Russian Army has losses equivalent to more than four military companies of troops and equipment in 24-hour periods.
Similarly, on June 18, Kiev forces claimed to have destroyed an important ammunition depot in the southern region of Kherson, occupied by Russia, which did not issue any statement on the matter.
However, the Ukrainian media published a series of videos showing the attacks on the depot, followed by a large column of smoke from the explosions.
NYT: ‘Russia Perpetrated Nova Kakhovka Dam Attack’
This was revealed by an investigation by the newspaper ‘The New York Times’after assuring that Russia would have caused an internal explosion of the enormous Kakhovka hydroelectric plant on June 6, which left more than 17,000 evacuees and enormous environmental damage.
According to the newspaper, after inquiring with engineers and explosives experts, they found evidence suggesting that “an explosive charge in a passage through the concrete base of the dam detonated,” causing destruction to the surrounding towns of Kherson, controlled by Moscow. .
“The evidence clearly suggests that the dam was paralyzed by an explosion caused by the side that controls it: Russia,” the Times said.
Ukraine will not be invited to join NATO at its next summit
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the military organization, said that during the bloc’s upcoming meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, no formal invitation to enter Ukraine will be issued to the Alliance.
The leader assured that the allies will not discuss the formal invitation to Kiev during the annual summit of NATO leaders, which this year will take place between July 11 and 12. However, Stoltenberg assured that they will maintain their support “as long as it is necessary.”
The statements by the head of the Alliance were made together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a meeting in Berlin, in the midst of the air maneuvers that NATO is carrying out these days, classified as the largest since the founding of the Organization.
During the press conference in the German capital, both leaders reported that one of the purposes of the summit is to hold a first meeting of the so-called NATO-Ukraine Council, a new forum in which they seek to “mark a future path.”
Stoltenberg and Scholz expressed their interest in Sweden and Finland coming to Vilnius in July as NATO members, although Swedish membership is still pending ratification by Turkey.
Both countries formalized their application to join the Alliance during last year’s summit, held in Spain.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
