Russia claims it thwarted Ukrainian attacks in provinces annexed by Moscow

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Russian authorities claim their troops disrupted major Ukrainian assaults in two provinces that Moscow has controversially seized from Ukraine. The authenticity of these attacks remains ambiguous, as Ukraine has yet to verify them, and it’s uncertain if this is the beginning of an expected counterstrike.

In an unusual early morning video broadcasted on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that their forces repelled a “massive scale” assault on Sunday at five locations in the southern Donetsk province of Ukraine. This is one of the four regions declared by President Vladimir Putin as Russian territory last fall, albeit Moscow only partially governs it.

“The primary objective of the adversary was to penetrate our defensive lines in the area they perceived as most susceptible,” declared Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov. “The adversary failed to accomplish its mission. They achieved no victory.”

Konashenkov announced that 250 Ukrainian personnel were lost, and 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry combat vehicles, and 21 armored warfare vehicles were annihilated.

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Vladimir Rogov, an official appointed by Moscow in southeast Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, reported on Sunday that Kyiv’s forces endeavored to penetrate Russian barriers there but were repulsed after encroaching 400 meters (less than a quarter-mile) into Russian-controlled territory.

Rogov stated that intense warfare reignited early Monday, noting that “the adversary launched a more considerable assault than the previous day.” He described the new endeavor to penetrate the front line as “extensively planned and coordinated,” adding, “A battle is presently in progress.”

Ukrainian authorities have yet to verify these assaults. The Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications mentioned on Telegram that Russian forces were “escalating their informational and psychological operations.”

“In an attempt to demoralize Ukrainians and misguide the public (including their own citizens), Russian propagandists will disseminate false narratives regarding the counteroffensive, its progression, and the losses of the Ukrainian army, even if there’s no counteroffensive,” a Telegram statement read.

Ukraine typically acknowledges its military activities post completion, enforcing news blackouts meanwhile. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the alleged Donetsk assault initiated on Sunday morning, but the reason for the delay in announcing it until Monday remains unclear.

Ukrainian officials have been hinting at the prospect of a spring counteroffensive to recapture the territory Russia has occupied since its invasion of the country on Feb. 24, 2022, including the Crimean Peninsula seized in 2014.

However, they’ve provided mixed messages about whether preliminary, minor attacks aimed at debilitating Russian forces and military facilities would signal the start of the campaign, or if it would take a full-scale coordinated attack across the entire 1,100-kilometer (684-mile) front line.

Two primary considerations influencing the timing include the enhancement of ground conditions facilitating troop and equipment movement post-winter, and the supply of more sophisticated Western weapons and the training of Ukrainian troops to handle them.

The spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry stated that Ukraine deployed six mechanized and two tank battalions in the assault. A video released by the ministry purports to show the demolition of some equipment in a field.

In an infrequent specific mention of top Russian military leaders’ involvement in battlefield operations, Konashenkov revealed that the

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