The Russians also claim to have destroyed 16 Ukrainian tanks. According to war studies professor Frans Osinga of Leiden University, if true, this is significant. “On the other hand, Ukraine probably has hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles ready.” If the message is correct, as far as Osinga is concerned, this does not necessarily indicate that this is the counteroffensive, “because it will be on a larger scale.”
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Osinga points out all the defensive positions that the Russians have set up and adds that in the end we can expect these kind of losses from the Ukrainian side as well.
Meanwhile, a Moscow-backed militia leader and several Russian military bloggers have admitted that Ukrainian forces forced a breakthrough at at least one point in southwest Donetsk. Ukrainian officials declined to comment, stressing the need to maintain secrecy over recent days’ operations.
Milbloggers alarmed
According to The Guardian, Russian military bloggers have also claimed that Ukraine has broken through the Russian lines at Velykonovosilkivskyi. The newspaper quoted blogger Wargonzo as saying: “This time the news is much more disturbing.” The head of the Russian administration in the Zaporizhia region, Vladimir Rogov, also said there was a significant attack there as well.
“The enemy has thrown even greater forces into the attack than yesterday and is trying in an organized way to force a large-scale breakthrough,” Rogov reported on his Telegram channel. “The battle continues”.