Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army has begun, which, from his point of view, is evidenced by the use of the strategic reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, Putin declares that “in none of the areas of hostilities did the Ukrainian troops achieve their tasks,” he is quoted by RIA Novosti. Putin also added that the losses suffered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are three times higher than in Russia.
“It is known that during offensive operations, losses are approximately three to one. This is a classic. But in this case, it significantly exceeds these classical indicators. I will not reproduce the figures now, but they are impressive,” Putin said.
The day before, on June 8, The Washington Post reported , citing its sources in Ukraine and the American security services, that the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counteroffensive. Similar messages were heard from the ABC television company and other American media.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had not yet launched a counteroffensive, but Ukrainian forces were moving on to offensive operations in some areas.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has been reporting since June 4 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are undertaking a “long-promised offensive”, and states that all attacks are successfully repulsed.
Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko told The Insider on June 6 that the actions of Ukrainian forces have noticeably intensified in the Bakhmut and Zaporozhye directions, but also noted that this is not yet the promised counteroffensive.