Russia announced Monday that Ukraine’s military launched an important attack to try and break through their defenses along the eastern frontlines of the war.
Kyiv has not confirmed or denied the claims made by officials from Moscow, and the influential military bloggers of the country, but it has warned against Russian misinformation.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether this was the beginning of the major offensive Kyiv had been preparing since months to reclaim the land occupied by the Russian invasion last February.
In a statement issued overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian ground forces launched a “large-scale offensive” in five areas of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Region late Sunday.
The ministry reported that Ukraine had used two brigades from its “strategic reserve” to launch the attack. Six mechanized battalions and two tanks were involved. The ministry added that Ukraine lost over 250 soldiers, 16 tanks, and other equipment.
The statement stated that “the enemy’s objective was to breach Russia’s defences in the area it considered the most vulnerable of the front.” The enemy failed to achieve its goals.
NBC News does not verify the claims.
The frontlines have remained mostly static in recent months, despite Russia’s rare victory last month. The Ukrainian counteroffensive has been rumored for years that Donetsk, which along with Luhansk is part of the Donbas region annexed by the Kremlin, would be the target.
The Ukrainian government and top officials did not immediately react, but the strategic communication branch of the country’s armed forces warned against alleged Russian disinformation.
It said that Russian propagandists would spread false information to demoralize Ukrainians, mislead their community (including the population of their own country), and inflate the losses suffered by the Ukrainian army.
While the Russian defense ministry claims to have repulsed the Ukrainian attacks, war correspondents and bloggers — sources of information that are becoming increasingly influential since the invasion — described Monday’s new attacks and suggested that some might be successful.
Alexander Kots reported that “active battles” were taking place in two directions near Vuhledar, a town in Donetsk, as well as Bakhmut. Bakhmut was recently claimed by Russia.
Kots said that it appeared Kyiv hadn’t yet sent its main forces to the battlefield, but could do so in a different area.
Semyon Pgov, a prominent Russian military blogger who blogs as War Gonzo and blogs under the name War Gonzo said that Ukrainian forces advanced near the village Novodonetske north of Vuhledar. They managed to move over a mile in Russian-controlled land.
He said that Ukraine had moved reserve units towards the village.
Vladimir Rogov, an official with a Russian installation in Zaporizhzhia’s southern region, reported that the fighting resumed on Monday, after he had reported a failed Ukrainian break-through near the regional border to Donetsk the day before.
Rogov stated that Ukraine has “thrown even greater forces in the attack than yesterday. They are approaching the break-through attempt on a bigger scale and organized manner. There is a battle.”
Since months, there has been speculation about when and where Kyiv will launch a large-scale counteroffensive. Officials in Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were careful to not give any details but still claimed that a counteroffensive would be launched soon.
On Monday, some military analysts told NBC News that it was still too early to determine whether the Russian attacks were the start of a major offensive.
The Ukrainian thrust, whenever it comes, could be a crucial moment in its bid for repulsion of the Russians. It will also show the world that it has made good use of the military assistance provided by its Western allies.
