Ukraine Counteroffensive, Russian 'Special Military Operation' Death Throes
"Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. At what stage, I will not say in detail."
"I am in daily contact with our commanders. Everyone is positive. So pass it on to Putin."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
"We can clearly say the offensive has started, as indicated by the
Ukrainian army's use of strategic reserves."
"But
the Ukrainian troops haven't achieved their stated tasks in a single
area of fighting."
Russian President Vladimir Putin
"We are seeing newly Western trained and equipped Ukrainian brigades
participating in significant armored assaults on Russian positions. Those brigades with that
equipment were explicitly built for this counteroffensive."
"As the offensive has just begun, it's too early to say how it's going
to pan out. Ukraine is assaulting heavily fortified
Russian positions. It is expected that they would sustain significant
casualties."
Dmitri Alperovitch, analyst, Silverado Policy Accelerator, Washington think tank
The long-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces in
occupied regions of Ukraine has been launched, a critical phase in the
conflict purposed to restore Ukraine's territorial sovereignty.
Specialized attack units along with regular troops armed with Western
weapons, trained in NATO tactics launched strikes on front-line
positions in Ukraine's southeast on Wednesday night; the beginning of a
significant forward momentum into Russian-occupied territory.
Unauthorized
military personnel officers spoke on condition of anonymity discussing
battlefield developments. Reports were also made by Russian military
bloggers of heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, long seen along
the front line as a likely locale of the new Ukrainian campaign.
Kyiv's
forces could aim to sever the "land bridge" between mainland Russia and
the occupied Crimean Peninsula, cutting off crucial Russian supply
lines, by cutting south through Zaporizhzhia.
The
city of Melitopol where Russia has established the region's occupied
capital and Enerhodar where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is
located, could also become the focus of an attempted liberation.
Spokesman for Ukrainian military units located across much of the
eastern and southern front line, Valeriy Shershen, confirmed that "more
activity" in the Zaporizhzhia region could be expected, adding he "wouldn't say it's something major".
No
single action would mark the start of the counteroffensive, warned
Ukrainian officials in recent days repeating an official announcement of
the counteroffensive start would not be made, but their president broke
the silence and confirmed just that. "Small counteroffensive activities"
on a local scale, particularly the fight for Velyka Novo-silka in the
Donetsk region east of the Zaporizhzhia region was another active
conflict site, said Shershen.
In
anticipation of a possible Ukrainian attack, the Russians stepped up
their shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region. Over the course of months as
the counteroffensive unfolds, a pivotal test of a U.S.-led strategy to
prepare Ukrainian forces and train them on the use of the most advanced
warfare tactics will demonstrate just how successful the long-range
strategy proves to have been.
"Perhaps, we can now reliably say that the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began five-six days ago",
wrote Igor Strelkov, former officer of Russia's security service who
was heavily involved in Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its
later war in the eastern Donbas region. He set himself up to provide
analyses of troop movements at various hot spots along the front.
Russian
forces have spent months fortifying the Zaporizhzhia region with mines
and trenches, representing fierce obstacles in Ukraine's advance. One
brigade member taking part in the offensive in the southeast described "continuous
heavy fighting. It is very difficult on the field. Our artillery and
aviation are working, but the Russians' are working as well. It is
difficult for us and for them. The armed forces are advancing. But not
as fast as we wanted."
Members of Ukrainian Armed Forces are seen during
their shooting training with heavy weapons at the areas close to the
frontline in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 20, 2023.Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A breach of the
Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant on Tuesday
sent water gushing over the banks of the Dnieper River, into dozens of
residential communities in both Ukrainian and Russian-controlled
territories, just as the counteroffensive is intensifying. The
battlefield, of necessity, has been redrawn in that part of the southern
front as a result of the vast flooding.
On
Thursday, Russian forces shelled a flooded city, forcing a suspension
of rescue efforts. Thousands in the region are now homeless, tens of
thousands without drinking water or electricity. With no power out of
the Kakhovka plant or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine can
anticipate being short on electricity for some time. The ecological and
agricultural damage will be incalculable.
"With
no power and no water at this huge nuclear power plant, the chance of
the meltdown of reactors and spent nuclear fuel starts to become
plausible."
"Putin
has threatened the West with nuclear weapons since the beginning of
this war, but even if this is a hollow threat, the power plant could
still be used as an improvised nuclear weapon, with plausible
deniability."
"It
is uncertain what contamination would ensue or where it would go, but
it would be a global humanitarian and environmental disaster."
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former commander of U.K. and NATO CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) forces
Ukrainian soldiers rest in a trench on the front line near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, on June 9. (Roman Chop/The Associated Press)
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