Putin says Ukraine's counter-offensive has begun

Putin says Ukraine has begun counterattack

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 9 that Ukraine had certainly begun its long-awaited counter-offensive, but all attempts to advance had failed and Kyiv's forces had suffered heavy casualties.

Mr Putin’s remarks reinforced Moscow’s claims since earlier this week that the start of the counteroffensive would not be announced. Kyiv has not commented on such claims.

Quick view: Russian campaign day 470, counterattack on Ukraine causes significant losses; new danger from mines

According to Mr. Putin, Ukraine's casualties have far exceeded the usual ratio of 3:1 (meaning the attacking force suffered 3 times more losses than the defending force). "All counterattack attempts made so far have failed. But the offensive potential of the Kyiv government's army is still preserved," the Russian president said, according to Reuters.

Chiến sự ngày 471: Ông Putin nói chiến dịch phản công của Nga đã bắt đầu - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi on June 9.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said it had repelled fierce attacks in the two provinces of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, causing more than 1,000 casualties for Ukrainian soldiers and destroying dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, but provided no evidence for its assertion.

The ministry also said Ukrainian forces attacked Russian defenses four times with two battalions supported by tanks just south of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk province, but were repelled. Russian forces also repelled two attacks south of the city of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia province.

Evidence suggests hydroelectric dam in Ukraine was blown up

According to Ukrainian and US intelligence reports as well as seismic data from Norway, there is growing evidence that an explosion occurred at the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine around the time of the dam failure.

According to Reuters, Ukraine's security service said on June 9 that it had obtained a recording of a phone call proving that a Russian "sabotage group" blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant and dam in the early morning of June 6 in Kherson province. Accordingly, the 1.5-minute recording shows two men discussing the consequences of the sabotage in Russian.

Landmines drifting in floods after Kakhovka dam collapse pose new danger in Ukraine

The Norwegian research organization Norsar said on the same day that seismic data collected in the area showed clear signs of an explosion. Specifically, data from a seismic station in Romania at 2:54 a.m. on June 6 (local time) showed that an explosion had occurred, and such timing coincided with media reports of the dam collapse.

Meanwhile, a US official quoted by The New York Times said that US spy satellites had detected an explosion at the dam. The official said that satellites equipped with infrared sensors had detected heat signatures consistent with a large explosion.

Russian nuclear weapons to be deployed in Belarus from July

Russia will begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after special storage facilities are ready to receive them on July 7-8, President Putin said. This would be the first time Moscow has moved such warheads outside Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In March, Mr Putin said he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, saying it would be similar to the US deploying tactical nuclear weapons in a number of European countries for decades.

Ukraine attacks Russian defense lines, suffers significant losses against strong resistance

“Everything is going according to plan,” Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on June 9. The two discussed the nuclear deployment plan over a meal at the Russian leader’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, according to Reuters.

"The preparation of relevant facilities ends on July 7-8 and we will immediately begin work on the deployment of appropriate types of weapons on your territory," Putin said, according to a transcript of the leader's remarks released by the Kremlin.

US announces $2 billion military aid to Ukraine

The US Department of Defense on June 9 announced $2.1 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine, including air defense weapons and ammunition, amid signs that Kyiv has begun a counter-offensive to push back Russia, according to Reuters.

The package includes additional ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, the Raytheon HAWK air and missile defense system, 105mm and 203mm artillery rounds, small hand-launched AeroVironment drones, ammunition for laser-guided rocket systems, as well as training and maintenance support.

Ukrainian soldiers say they are taking part in counterattack, military leaders still deny

The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) money will be used to buy weapons, allowing the Biden administration to buy weapons from defense companies, rather than drawing them from US military stockpiles.

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