MOSCOW – The Russian army said on Friday that it had repulsed three strikes on the southern Ukrainian front, where fighting has stepped up this week in anticipation of a massive Kyiv onslaught.
The announcement followed reports from Russian war correspondents of “active combat” in the southern Zaporizhzhia province.
“Over the past day, Ukraine’s armed forces continued attempts to conduct offensive operations in the South-Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions,” the Russian army said.
It said that Russian troops and planes had “decisively” drove them back.
The Russian army said it repelled four attacks “carried out by forces of up to two battalion tactical groups, reinforced with tanks” near the town of Levadnoye in Zaporizhzhia and Novosleka in Donetsk.
The other two strikes occurred in Zaporizhzhia, near Novodanilovka and Malaya Tokmachka.
A strong Ukrainian onslaught is expected, with some observers claiming it has already begun.
“At the moment, active combat is ongoing in the region between Orekhovo and Tokmak,” Vladimir Rogov, a Russian occupation official, posted on the Telegram messaging application, referring to the Ukrainian town of Orikhiv.
A Russian combat correspondent, Alexander Sladkov, reported “intense fighting” in the area over Telegram.
“The enemy is making incredible efforts and attacks.” It was all in vain. Our forces are still holding out.
“The front lines are secure,” he wrote.
This was not independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army stated that “the adversary remains on the defensive” near Zaporizhzhia.
It claimed to have destroyed four missiles and ten drones out of a total of 20 fired by Russia at “military installations and critical infrastructure.”