Fierce fighting after news of Ukraine counterattack

Ukraine's air force said on Tuesday (June 9) it had shot down four of six cruise missiles and 10 of 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that Russia used to attack military facilities and key infrastructure in the early hours of the same day, according to The Kyiv Independent. Multiple explosions were reported in the Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk provinces in northern and eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said one person was killed, three were injured and four buildings were destroyed by falling debris, according to Reuters. As of last night, there was no information about Russia's response to Ukraine's statement.

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

"The battle was very brutal"

Also yesterday, the Russian military reported fierce fighting in the two provinces of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia in eastern and southern Ukraine, destroying more than 21 Ukrainian tanks, according to Reuters. Russian military bloggers said there were fierce battles on the Zaporizhzhia front near the city of Orikhiv as Ukraine tried to break through Russian defenses.

Giao tranh ác liệt sau tin Ukraine bắt đầu phản công - Ảnh 1. — Ukrainian servicemen drive a tank on a road in Donetsk province on June 5.

On the Ukrainian side, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the evening of June 8 that "very brutal battles are taking place, but we are seeing results," implying that the country's army could regain Russian-controlled territory in Donetsk province, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Russia’s top military official told President Vladimir Putin on June 8 that the country’s military had repelled attacks that Moscow said were part of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive since June 4, according to Reuters. Ukraine has refused to comment on the long-planned counteroffensive and accused Russia of spreading lies about it.

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

By the evening of June 8, a spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to refuse to comment on the same day's information from the US press that the Ukrainian army had begun a counterattack, focusing on the southeast region. In particular, The New York Times quoted a senior US official as saying that Ukraine had stepped up its attacks on the night of June 8 in Zaporizhzhia province and that appeared to be the main breakthrough direction of the counterattack.

The West helps Ukraine strengthen in the long term?

Asked whether military support for Kyiv would continue in the face of a Ukrainian counterattack, US President Joe Biden yesterday stressed that Western countries had done their best to prepare Ukraine for a counterattack, according to TASS news agency. Mr. Biden added that the US and its allies intend to support Ukraine in ensuring "long-term security".

“We are advancing that goal by providing the support Ukraine needs on the ground and helping them strengthen their military over the long term,” Biden said at a White House news conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak also stressed that Ukraine’s backers needed to send a strong signal to Putin that their support for Kyiv would not wane as the conflict continued.

President Putin says Ukraine has begun counterattack

As of last night, there was no information about Russia's reaction to the above statements of Mr. Biden and Mr. Sunak. Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Western countries were increasingly involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to TASS. Mr. Peskov emphasized that Moscow would continue its military operation in Ukraine and ensure its interests in one way or another and would achieve its set goals.

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