Russia says Ukraine has begun counter-offensive, Kyiv denies

Ukraine rejects Russia's claims

Russia's claim that Ukraine has begun a counteroffensive is just a distraction from the losses Russian forces are suffering in Bakhmut, according to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

Moscow announced on June 5 that it had repelled a major Ukrainian offensive involving six mechanized battalions and two tank units in Donetsk province.

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In a post on the Telegram app the same day, Ms. Maliar said Ukrainian forces were “moving to offensive actions” in several areas along the front line. But she denied that this was part of a large-scale operation.

Chiến sự ngày 467: Nga nói Ukraine đã bắt đầu chiến dịch phản công, Kyiv phủ nhận - Ảnh 1. — Armored vehicles in Kharkiv, near the Russia-Ukraine border

“Why are the Russians so actively publicizing information about a counterattack? Because they need to divert attention from the defeat in the Bakhmut direction,” she wrote.

Russia's Wagner private military force captured the city of Bakhmut (in Donetsk province) last month after the longest battle of the conflict and handed over the positions they controlled to the regular Russian army, according to Reuters.

Since then, Ukraine has continued to attack areas north and south of the city. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on June 5 that Kyiv’s army had recaptured part of a village on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

Ukraine says fighting continues around Bakhmut, Russian troops continue to replace Wagner

The area around Bakhmut remains the "epicenter" of fighting and Ukrainian forces are "moving along a fairly wide front," Maliar said.

Regarding Kyiv’s counteroffensive plan, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Reuters on June 5 that his country had enough weapons to counterattack Russia, and that the operation would give the country the victory it needed to join NATO. However, he did not say whether the counteroffensive had begun when asked.

In an interview in Kyiv, Mr Kuleba also said Ukraine could "probably" only join the US-led military coalition after the fighting ended.

British Foreign Secretary arrives in Kyiv

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on June 5, The Guardian reported. According to the newspaper, the two discussed preparations for the NATO summit in Lithuania next month and Ukraine's plan to end the fighting.

Chiến sự ngày 467: Nga nói Ukraine đã bắt đầu chiến dịch phản công, Kyiv phủ nhận - Ảnh 3. — President Zelensky receives Foreign Minister Cleverly in Kyiv on June 5

“We are grateful for the support that the UK has provided and continues to provide to Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said in a Telegram post the same day. He also said the two countries had reached “important agreements” in recent weeks.

Last week, as Moscow came under its first drone attack in the now 15-month war, Mr. Cleverly told reporters that Ukraine had a “legitimate right” to defend itself and could “deploy troops” beyond its borders.

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Last month, Britain became the first Western country to supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who has expressed interest in becoming the next NATO secretary general, said last week that “the path is clear” for Ukraine to join the alliance.

Russian territory attacked again?

Vladimir Zhdanov, an official in Russia's Belgorod province bordering Ukraine, said on June 5 that the Ukrainian army had launched 70 rockets from a Grad multiple launch rocket system into the Shebekino district of the province, according to TASS.

Earlier, Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one civilian was injured and one of the energy facilities was damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire on the night of June 5.

According to Mr. Gladkov, fighting occurred in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka in Belgorod province, involving a group he called "Ukrainian saboteurs".

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Russia increases attacks on Ukraine with UAVs?

The British Ministry of Defense said on June 5 that Russia may have increased drone attacks on Ukraine to deplete Ukraine's air defense missile arsenal, according to The Kyiv Independent .

In May, Russia launched more than 300 Iranian-made Shahed UAVs at Ukraine, with a significant number targeting the capital Kyiv. The figures represent Russia’s most powerful use of UAVs to date, but Ukraine was able to intercept “at least 90 percent of them” using “older and cheaper air defense weapons,” according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

It is possible that Russia is also trying to target Ukrainian troop positions beyond the front line but remains “very ineffective at hitting such targets at long range due to poor targeting procedures,” according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

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