- Ukraine has entered its fourth week of counterattacks as Russia lays down strong defenses.
- In one of its early victories, Ukraine regained villages around eastern Ukraine.
- The NYT reported that about 70 Ukrainian troops had been liberated in one of the villages of Neskne.
Ukraine mobilized about half of Russia’s forces to recapture a small village in the Donetsk region. It was one of the country’s early victories in a slow-moving counteroffensive. The New York Times reported.
Ukraine is now in the fourth week of the long-awaited counteroffensive that began in early June. Officials, including Gen. Mark Milley of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that the counterattack could take longer than some expected, with a deadline of up to 10 weeks. Since the operation began, Ukraine has gradually turned a profit.
The delay in the advance was partly due to the strengthening of Russian defense lines in the occupied territories, some of which had been in place since the beginning of the invasion. This includes minefields, anti-vehicle barricades, and trench mazes. The Ukrainian army also operates with significantly fewer personnel than in Moscow.
At Neskuchine, a small village in eastern Donetsk Oblast occupied by Russia since last spring, Ukraine sent 70 soldiers (mostly volunteers) from the 129th Territorial Defense Brigade to face 150 Russian soldiers from the 60th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade. ), the Times reported. . According to The Times, Russia also has a unit known as Storm Z, made up of ex-convicts.
Ukrainian soldiers told the newspaper that recapturing the village was a long and arduous task.
A soldier from the 129th Brigade told The Times that the unit had to “liberate the houses” and initially believed there were no more than 20 Russians in the village.
The Ukrainian army first entered Neskne on foot and then bombarded it with small drones, the newspaper said. On the second day of the attack, the force was supported by another 20 men from a nearby brigade.
The Times reported that Russian forces had withdrawn by June 9. According to reports, more than a dozen Russian soldiers were killed and six Ukrainian soldiers were killed.
Ukrainian forces subsequently recaptured three other settlements. BBC reported.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maryar said the soldiers had advanced between 300 and 1,500 meters in southern Ukraine. According to the Institute for War Studies.