Ukraine repelled more than 80 Russian attacks in one day, its military said on Sunday.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military wrote in its Sunday operational update on Facebook that Russia launched several attacks against key Ukrainian cities, including Limanski, Bakhmutsky, Avdiiv, Maryinsky and Shakhtar. Many of these attacks failed, however, and Ukrainian forces blocked 83 Russian advances on Saturday.
The aborted attacks are the latest indication of Russia’s stalled war since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special war operation” against Ukraine last February. Despite initial concerns that Ukraine would fall quickly, its forces responded with a stronger-than-expected defensive effort, undermining Russia’s military gains.
After more than a year of conflict, the fighting is still concentrated in the easternmost regions of the Eastern European country. Military analysts have pointed to a lack of motivated troops and chain-of-command problems within Putin’s forces as reasons why its offensive has failed.
Ukraine said on Sunday that its army had repelled a significant number of troops from advancing in key areas, including Bakhmut, which has seen some of the most intense fighting of the war.
“Despite the loss of life, the Russian Federation continues to conduct an aggressive war. The main efforts of the opponent are focused on capturing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. To achieve their goals, attacks continue in Limansk, Bakhmutsky, Avdiiv, Maryinsky and Shakhtar directions. During the past day, our defenders repelled 83 attacks in this area of the front. The center of battles is still Bakhmut “, the message reads.
Russia has not confirmed these blocked attacks Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine’s claims. In addition, it remained unclear how many total attacks the Russian soldiers made and how many were successful.
The General Staff also reported that Russia launched 11 missile strikes, four of which targeted civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. According to Ukraine, Russia also carried out 16 airstrikes and 99 bombings from jet systems.
In addition, Ukraine said it shot down 10 “strikes in areas of concentration of the occupiers,” including at least one Shahed-136 drone, a weapon supplied to Russia by Iran, one of its closest allies during the widely condemned attack.
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Ukraine War Updates: Analysts Say Russia’s Bahmut Attacks Are Slowing
Ukraine’s claims come after analysts said Russian offensives in Bakhmut this week were slowing down. The two armies have been engaged in an intense battle for control of the Ukrainian city, which some say would offer Russia a symbolic victory rather than a strategic one. Russia has touted its progress in fighting elsewhere in the city and has been fighting alongside a paramilitary unit, the Wagner group.
Bakhmut was one of the cities where Ukraine claimed to have successfully blocked part of the Russian advance over the weekend.
The UK Ministry of Defense wrote on Saturday that Russian troops have carried out their fewest attacks in the city since January, suggesting a “temporary reduction in the combat power of deployed forces to the extent that even localized attacks are currently unsustainable. .”
Newsweek received a comment from the Russian Ministry of Defense by e-mail.