MOSCOW, Russia
Russia's defence ministry says
it has thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk, claiming to have killed
250 troops and destroyed armoured vehicles.
Video of what Russia says is
the battle appears to show military vehicles coming under heavy fire in fields.
But there has been no comment
from Kyiv and Russia's claim has not been independently verified.
A Ukrainian counter-offensive
has been long awaited but Kyiv says it will not give advance warning of its
start.
And it is unclear whether the
alleged attacks indicate that the fresh push to recapture Ukrainian land from
Russian forces has begun in earnest.
The Russian defence ministry
said Ukraine had launched the "large-scale offensive" in the Donetsk
region on Sunday using six mechanised and two tank battalions.
It claimed the Ukrainians
tried to break through Russian defences in what Kyiv saw as the most vulnerable
part of the frontline but that it "did not achieve its tasks, it had no
success".
Moscow claimed Ukraine had
lost 250 troops as well as 16 tanks.
Ukraine has been planning a
counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted as much time as possible to
train troops and to receive military equipment from Western allies.
Officials in Kyiv have warned
against public speculation over the offensive, saying it could help the enemy.
"Plans love silence.
There will be no announcement of the start," the defence ministry said in
a video posted to Telegram on Sunday.
The footage featured masked
and well-armed troops holding their fingers against their lips.
Much is at stake because the
government in Kyiv needs to show the people of Ukraine - and Western allies -
that it can break through Russian lines, end the effective military deadlock
and recapture some of its sovereign territory.
On Monday morning, the
commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said troops were
"moving forward" towards Bakhmut and had destroyed a Russian position
near the city.
Elsewhere, fighters opposed to
the government in Moscow say they have
captured some Russian soldiers in Belgorod, near the border with
Ukraine.
The claim was made by the
Liberty of Russia Legion (FRL), which described the announcement as a joint
statement with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).
Both groups want to topple
President Vladimir Putin. They oppose the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that
he launched in February last year.
Belgorod's top official,
Vyacheslav Gladkov, replied to say he had agreed to meet the men's captors if
the soldiers were still alive. But the fighters later said that the governor
"had not found the courage" to meet them and they would hand over
their captives to Ukraine.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for
recent attacks in its border territories, but Kyiv denies being directly
involved.
Authorities in Belgorod said
an energy plant was ablaze following a drone attack on Monday morning.
And in Russia's Kaluga region
- which borders the southern districts around Moscow - governor Vladislav
Shapsha said two drones fell onto a main road. Mr Shapsha said there had not
been an explosion and the area was now cordoned off.
There has been no independent
confirmation of either attack, but Moscow says the Belgorod region has been the
regular target of drone attacks from Ukraine. - BBC
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