Ukraine intensifying attacks on frontline, Russian forces inflicted heavy losses, claims Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (July 26) claimed that Ukraine had intensified attacks on the frontline in the last few days. Reuters reported that a Ukrainian official said the country's forces are making slow but steady progress in the battlefield.

On Wednesday, three different media outlets cited unnamed US officials as saying Kyiv had launched a new phase of its ambitious counteroffensive which seeks to eject Russian troops from nearly 20% of Ukrainian land still under occupation.

Asked about these reports, Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, told Reuters that "there is nothing new" happening at front lines. "In the south, we are moving forward slowly but surely," he said.

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As he interacted with Russian television, Putin claimed that every Ukrainian attack had been beaten back. He also said that Russian forces had inflicted significant losses on their opponents.

Defence ministries of both countries appeared to offer contradicting reports of fighting.

Russian defence ministry said that Russian forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks around the village of Klishchiivka, as per reports by Russian news agency TASS. The village is near Bakhmut.

However, Hannah Maliar, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister wrote on Telegram that Ukraine's troops were "gradually moving forward" near Bakhmut. She claimed that the fight was ongoing near Klischiivka, Kudriumivka and Andriivka.

She claimed that Ukrainian forces beat back Russian attacks near Kupiansk and Lyman.

The counteroffensive

Till now, Ukraine's counteroffensive has moved slowly. Ukraine has only been able to recapture few hundred square kilometres. It is just a tiny fraction of the territory which is still under Russian control.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed "very good results" on the battlefield in an address on Tuesday evening, promising to give details later.

Ukraine has enjoyed success in a few areas. One of these is the Mokri Yaly river in southeastern Ukraine. In this area, the Ukrainian troops have captured several settlements. The forces are now heading towards the village of Staromaiorske. The village is currently held by Russia.

Aleksandr Khodakovsky, an influential Moscow-backed separatist commander in eastern Ukraine, posted an angry message on his Telegram channel on Wednesday complaining about heavy shelling of Staromaiorske over several days followed by a Ukrainian assault which had made some gains.

Sak said there was fighting ongoing near Staromaiorske but the village was "not yet" under Ukrainian control.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

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