President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commended Ukraine’s air defenses for successfully shooting down over 30 drones. He defiantly stated that Ukrainian forces were actively engaging and destroying Russian forces in the primary conflict areas, namely the east and south. The commander of the land forces and the deputy defense minister reported positive outcomes from a counteroffensive in both regions.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russian forces targeted and destroyed eight ammunition warehouses throughout Ukraine in the preceding 24 hours. They also claimed to have repelled Ukrainian attacks in three areas. The Ukrainian forces reportedly attempted to assault the Russian-held eastern city of Donetsk and the southern Zaporizhzhia region but were pushed back.
Ukraine’s president’s office revealed that multiple waves of drone attacks targeted the Kyiv region for over four hours. Additionally, Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes on the Russian-controlled town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region, resulting in the death of a woman and injuring four civilians, according to local Russian-appointed authorities.
These Russian attacks occurred as attention has been focused on Ukrainian actions against Russia’s defensive positions in the south and east. This marks the initial stages of a counteroffensive aimed at pushing back President Vladimir Putin’s troops from the territories seized since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.