By Editor-June 13th, 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes Ukraine’s counteroffensive is failing, claiming Kyiv’s troops have lost 25 to 30 percent of military vehicles supplied by Western countries since the start of their push to retake lands occupied by Moscow’s forces.
The Russian leader also blames Ukraine for last week’s breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which he said was caused by Kyiv shelling the structure with US-made HIMARS missile systems.
Ukraine says Russia launched a “massive missile attack” overnight on the city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least 11 people and wounding 28.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s powerful mercenary Wagner Group, says he was “not sure” if his men would continue to fight in Ukraine amid a bitter standoff with the Russian defence ministry.
Ukraine claimed at the weekend that it had liberated four villages in the south-east of the country in the first victories of its much-anticipated counter-offensive.
Officials reported on Monday that “the national flag is once again waving” over Storozheve, in the Donetsk region.
Reports and footage from the weekend show similar scenes in the neighbouring settlements of Blahodatne and Neskuchne, as well as nearby Makarivka.
The villages are relatively small and Moscow is yet to confirm any retreat.
