Putin claims Ukrainian forces have sustained heavy losses during intensified counteroffensive
From CNN's Tim Lister
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy losses during an intensified effort to break through Russian defenses in southern Ukraine.
Putin was speaking on the margins of the
Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg.
He said that in the last few days “we confirm that hostilities have intensified and in a significant way,” and that the main clashes took place in the Zaporizhzhia region.
His comments come as US officials tell CNN that
Ukraineappears to be ramping up its
counteroffensive and has committed additional resources in this area in recent days.
Putin said that “without any exaggeration, I can say that our soldiers and officers have demonstrated the best examples of mass heroism. The enemy used a large number of armored vehicles - this is 50 units. Of these, 39 units, including 26 tanks and 13 armored vehicles, were destroyed….The enemy was not successful in any of the areas of clashes.
All counteroffensive attempts were stopped, and the enemy was driven back with heavy losses.”
Putin added: “Today they tried to pick up abandoned wrecked equipment, the wounded and the bodies of the dead, which they left yesterday on the battlefield…The enemy has very heavy losses of personnel — over 200 people. Unfortunately, we did not do without losses, but the difference is colossal, at times - more than ten times less than our enemy. “
Some key context: There has been little independent evidence of the state of the front lines in the south, but Russian military bloggers and official Ukrainian accounts suggest that Ukrainian forces have cut a path through at least one of the many minefields laid by the Russians and made modest territorial gains in the area of Robotyne, south of the town of Orikhiv.
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Ukraine’s counteroffensive ......