The Ukrainian military has suffered “significant” casualties in its faltering attempt to mount a counteroffensive against Russian forces, US officials told CNN on Thursday. While Kiev has kept quiet about its losses, Moscow estimates that the offensive has already cost Ukraine almost 5,000 lives.
Ukrainian troops hoping to break through Russia’s defensive lines have met “greater than expected resistance from Russian forces,” the American network reported, citing anonymous “senior US officials.”
CNN’s sources described how Russian forces used anti-tank missiles and mortars to put up “stiff resistance” and inflicted “significant” casualties, as the Ukrainians struggled to get their Western-provided vehicles through densely-laid minefields.
After months of delays and mixed messages from Kiev, Ukraine’s counteroffensive began on Sunday with an attack by six mechanized and two tank battalions along five sections of the frontline near Donetsk, and in other regions to the north and south. Further attacks followed, and although pro-Ukrainian sources described these thrusts as “probing” attacks, it was clear by the beginning of this week that the counteroffensive had begun in earnest.
The fiercest fighting took place on Wednesday night along the frontline near Zaporozhye, where the Russian military has spent several months constructing multiple lines of minefields, trenches, gun emplacements, and anti-tank obstacles. The Ukrainian 47th mechanized brigade attacked with a total strength of up to 1,500 troops and 150 armored vehicles, but Russian troops – backed by artillery and air support – repelled the assault, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
Key to Russia’s defense has been its suppression of Ukraine’s air defense systems, allowing its fighter jets and attack helicopters to operate with impunity over the frontline.
The minister claimed that during a two-hour battle, the enemy lost 30 tanks, 11 armored personnel carriers and up to 350 troops. According to Shoigu’s daily updates, Ukraine has lost around 4,995 soldiers and almost 100 tanks since Sunday.
Despite the apparently colossal losses, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN earlier this week that Washington believed “that the Ukrainians will meet with success in this counteroffensive.” However, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, urged caution, telling the network on Monday that it was “too early to tell what outcomes are going to happen.”
“Everyone knows perfectly well that any counteroffensive in the world without control in the skies is very dangerous,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in a Wall Street Journal interview on Saturday, adding that “a large number of soldiers will die” during the operation.
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Andrei Martyanov….
Somebody tell those people from WarZone–modern NATO AD is not survivable on the modern battlefield in ANY configuration, because NONE of it is adequate for modern high density EW, modern air forces, super-sonic and hyper-sonic weapons used by highly advanced opponent’s C4ISR. Two Patriots PAC3 learned about it the hard way, as did NASAMS and now this IRIS thingy. NATO DOESN’T have specific Air Defense military academies and War Colleges–USSR did and Russia does have them still. How about Yaroslavl Air Defense Military Academy? Five years, six days a week monstrous courses in the engineering and use of air defense systems, military science, tactics and operations, with a graduate degree of specialist-engineer. No Bachelor in Foreign Relations or Political “science” BS. Obviously, to get accepted to it, apart from exhausting physical and psychological testing, high levels of math, physics and language are required.
Yes, your vision doesn’t fail you–these are girls, young women, future or present girlfriends and wives of cadets and future graduates.
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2023/06/oh-please.html
Tank = Mobile crematory muffle.
Tank Battalion Motto:
“Have crematory, will travel”
The fight starts with those who would force you to go fight.
That’s how you know you’re winning.
When you lose 25% of your land, half your population is either dead or displaced, and it has cost you hundreds of billions of dollars and the majority of your military innfrastructure, how can it be anything else?
That’s how you know you’re winning.
If this is true ? Go Ukelele!
LOL
Ukulele, but yes: GO UKULELE!!!
That’s how Khazaria knows it’s winning!
“See you next year in Khazaria!”
A counter-offensive with barely 2 divisions of mech and armor is not a counter-offensive. It is a joke.
In a decade or two, if we are still around, I will be curious to see what the true casualties of this war have been.
ZFG, out.
P.S. we already know truth is the biggest casualty.
The US and NATO are planning on sacrificing Ukraine all together. Their agenda is to do as much damage to Russia and east Ukraine as they can, and then when it is at the point where Ukraine is going to be over run, to invade western Ukraine and to claim western Ukraine territories for Poland and Hungary thereby advancing NATO borders closer to Russia. IMO, Russia should tell NATO this is grounds for war with NATO. NATO is now at its weakest point, and Russia should take advantage of the situation. Defeat NATO now before it has a chance to re arm and attack them again.
Sounds convoluted.
I think the real goal here, is to throw money and weapons at the manufactured crisis, until the correct profit margins have been met for MIC contractors.
______
[Plus 10% for…..you know]
They’re not really there for the bear hunting.
KILL MORE GOYIM!! KILL KILL KILL!! CLEAR THIS PLACE OUT FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF KHAZARIA!!
yes. lots of soldiers will die, but the elites and politicians continue eating fine foods and sleeping in 5000$ a night hotels. Until they start dying, nothing changes
Would have to be an inside job, like all political assassinations.
i would love to see the entire radhanite jewish army wiped out, and that includes more than just what is fighting in ukraine.
I wouldn’t worry too much, American taxpayer, just keep bending over, slaving away to send your tax monies to corrupt jewish globalists in Ukraine.
That’s a good little goy.