Investing.com - Russia announced on Tuesday that it had successfully stopped a major Ukrainian offensive in the Donetsk region, resulting in heavy losses for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reported positive developments in the eastern conflict but has not confirmed if this signifies the beginning of its long-anticipated counterattack.
According to Russia, Ukrainian forces initiated a large-scale assault over the weekend in southern Donetsk which was subsequently repelled. However, Ukrainian officials have not mentioned any significant new campaign taking place. In his Monday evening address, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vaguely celebrated "the news we've been waiting for" and advancements made near Bakhmut within Donetsk.
Russian forces entered Ukraine last year on February 24th with an anticipated quick operation but faced multiple setbacks and later regrouped in eastern regions. With tens of thousands of Russian troops surrounding Bakhmut and anticipating a possible Ukrainian counterassault aimed at severing Russia's land connection to Crimea.
The Russian defense ministry claimed massive personnel losses for the attacking Ukrainians along with destroyed tanks and armored vehicles totaling around 1,500 troops lost. These allegations could not be independently verified by Reuters nor did Kyiv provide immediate comments regarding these assertions.
Both countries have previously claimed to inflict substantial human casualties upon each other without independent verification being possible. While The Washington Post reported some US officials believe that a counteroffensive may be underway; White House national security spokesperson John Kirby refrained from confirming or denying such speculations.
Ukraine's defense ministry released a promotional video on Sunday urging discretion about military actions stating that "plans like silence - the beginning will not be announced." The outcome of any potential counteroffensive will likely impact future Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine significantly.
While Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed on Monday that Ukraine now possesses enough weaponry for a counteroffensive, he did not comment on whether it had commenced.