President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has begun counterattack, Washington's air defense aid to Kiev is among the latest news on the situation in Ukraine.
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| Russian President Vladmir Putin said Ukraine had begun a counterattack. (Source: Reuters) |
On June 9, speaking at a conference in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated: “The offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) has begun. This is evidenced by the use of strategic reserves. However, the VSU has not achieved its goals in any area.”
For his part, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio (Russia), the leader of the “We Are Together with Russia” movement, Vladimir Rogov, said: “Today, they (Ukraine) are regrouping their forces. Initially, about 10,000 servicemen were mentioned. Now, according to the latest confirmed data, at least 30,000 soldiers are being transferred from Kherson to Zaporizhzhia. This move follows the collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the Ukrainian army’s transition to a comprehensive defense strategy.”
Previously, sharing with TASS news agency (Russia), this politician assessed that the Ukrainian army is currently transferring about 10,000 troops from Kherson.
In addition, according to Russian websites, despite the active counterattack of the VSU, the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) still fought persistently against Ukrainian military bases and destroyed much military equipment provided by the West.
Specifically, in May, VS RF launched 160 missiles and deployed more than 340 suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), actively using space reconnaissance equipment, including the Condor-FKA satellite recently launched by Russia.
In the early morning of June 4, the Russian military successfully attacked Ukrainian airports and facilities, including radar stations, command posts, weapons depots and aircraft. The Russian military website said that in the past few days, Ukraine has lost 3,700 soldiers, 52 tanks (including 8 Leopard 2 tanks), 3 French AMX-10s, 207 armored vehicles, 134 military vehicles, 5 planes, 2 helicopters, 48 artillery pieces and 53 UAVs.
On the Ukrainian side, on June 9, in his daily speech, President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the heroism of VSU soldiers, amid reports of increased fighting in the south.
Although he did not directly mention the upcoming counterattack or the developments on the battlefield, he emphasized: “To our soldiers, everyone fighting in particularly difficult areas these days, we see your heroic spirit. We are grateful to you every minute.”
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said their forces were ready for a counter-offensive to regain control of areas in the east and south of the country, but they would not officially announce when the operation would begin.
On the same day, in an interview with the YouTube channel of local newspaper Novoye Vremya , Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that if Moscow maintains its goals, Kiev will not need to participate in negotiations.
“In fact, everyone is told that if you are talking about mediation or facilitation, the rule of any mediator is to first determine the interests of the parties,” the official said. Therefore, peace with Russia can only happen if Moscow’s interests and goals in its military operations in Ukraine change. For his part, he stressed that Russia “must first withdraw its troops.”
In a related development, on June 9, the Pentagon announced a $2 billion aid package for Ukraine. According to the US Department of Defense, the aid package will include medium-range air defense systems and HAWK missiles, 105mm and 203mm artillery shells, Puma unmanned aerial systems, ammunition for laser-guided rocket systems, and training and maintenance support services.
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