Claim and counterclaim about the spring offensive
It’s possible that Ukraine’s long-awaited spring – now summer – offensive may have begun yesterday morning, when Russia’s defence ministry claims its forces killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 40 armoured vehicles including 16 tanks in southern Donetsk. Equally, the Russian report could be as bogus as Moscow’s original claim in February last year that it had no intention of invading. One pro-Kremlin military blogger wrote this morning that Ukrainian attacks today were far more serious than yesterday’s and the Russian situation on the southern Donetsk front was “more alarming by the hour”. Ukraine’s military command reported 29 clashes and 15 airstrikes on the enemy but said nothing about an offensive.
Photograph Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images