Russian reports about the fighting on the front line said that 12 Ukrainian attacks were repulsed in the Donetsk region.
Much of Russia’s military activity has focused on airstrikes that damaged grain infrastructure in a Ukrainian port on the Danube River.
And the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces destroyed a Ukrainian drone boat that tried to attack a Russian warship while it was escorting a civilian ship in the Black Sea.
For her part, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said that the Russian forces “persistently tried to stop our advance in the Bakhmut sector. Without success.”
She wrote on the Telegram application, saying that Russian forces were increasing their reserves and equipment in three regions in the north, where there were reports of heavy fighting over the past few weeks.
Oleksey Danilov, head of the Ukrainian Security Council, explained that the Russian forces had enough time during the months in which they occupied Ukraine to prepare their defenses and lay vast minefields, adding to state television: “The enemy has comprehensively prepared for these events. The number of mines in the area that our forces have regained control of is insane.” Exactly. On average there are three, four or five mines per square metre.”
Danilov echoed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s assurances that progress, while slower than hoped, could not be rushed to avoid risking lives.
He continued, “No one but us can dictate deadlines. There is no specific schedule. I have never used the phrase counter-attack. There are military operations and they are very complex and depend on many factors.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said in its version of events that Ukrainian forces made unsuccessful attempts to advance in several sectors in the southern and northern parts of the Donetsk region.
#Ukraine #Russians #fail #advance #entrenched