Drone footage shows a battle between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian forces. The Ukrainians arrive with two combat vehicles on the right of the picture – the Russian soldiers are in trenches on the left. A Russian soldier looks out of the trench and fires at the Ukrainians who are also firing.
The Ukrainian soldiers throw hand grenades at two trenches and then advance forward. What happens next is unclear.
The independent ISW, institute for the study of war, which analyzes the war on a daily basis, believes that Ukraine has advanced around Bachmut and in Zaporizhia in the direction of Donetsk.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukraine’s counter-offensive has begun. The announcement was made in connection with the Ukrainian president receiving Canadian President Justin Trudeau, who is visiting Ukraine.
Peter Lidén is a lieutenant colonel at the University of Defense, and believes that the counter-offensive has been going on for upwards of a month.
– It obviously depends on how you define “counter-offensive”, and for me it means something more and bigger than some unit’s attack. In that case, it has been going on for a while because they fired purposefully from the Ukrainian side at, for example, staffs and logistics warehouses, he tells TT.
– I claim that if you include the preparation stage for the offensive, it has been going on for upwards of a month.
Peter Lidén does not believe that the publication will have any practical effect on the outcome of the war.
– The fact that you now go out with it officially is not really a big deal in practical terms. They do it partly because internal public opinion expects it, and partly because the outside world expects it, he says.