„The enemy’s goal was to break through our defenses in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,“ the defense ministry said.
Russian forces have thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in the southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops, the defense ministry in Moscow said on Monday.
In a statement, the ministry said Ukraine had launched the attack on Sunday using six mechanized and two tank battalions.
„On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,“ the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the Russian statement.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
It was unclear whether the reported attack represented the start of a long-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive to recapture some of the territory taken by Russian forces after the invasion of February 2022.
„The enemy’s goal was to break through our defenses in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,“ the defense ministry said.
