Early on Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry declared that its forces had successfully repelled a significant Ukrainian attack in the eastern province of Donetsk. However, it remains uncertain whether this marks the beginning of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

In a rare early morning video announcement, the Defense Ministry stated that on Sunday, its forces had managed to repel a large-scale Ukrainian assault at five different locations in southern Donetsk, which is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia unlawfully annexed last year.

According to Igor Konashenkov, the spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, the enemy’s objective was to breach their defenses in what it perceived as the most vulnerable sector of the front. However, the enemy did not achieve its objectives and experienced no success, the Associated Press reports.

Konashenkov reported that 250 Ukrainian personnel were killed in the operation, with 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, and 21 armored combat vehicles destroyed.

As of now, Ukraine has not issued any comments on the matter. It is worth noting that Ukraine typically refrains from confirming its actions until its military operations are complete, implementing news blackouts in the interim.

The reason behind the Russian Defense Ministry’s delay in announcing the attack, which reportedly began on Sunday morning, remains unclear.

Written by staff