At the time of tension between Russia and the Wagner private military group, Ukraine counterattacked simultaneously in many directions.
“Our eastern wing today counterattacked simultaneously in several directions,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on June 24.
These counter-attack directions include cities and towns, including Bakhmut, Yahidne, and Bohdanivka. Maliar said the counter-offensive was “making progress in all directions”, but gave no further details.
According to the official, Russian forces tried to advance on the Kupiansk, Lyman and Marinka fronts but failed to make any progress. On the Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk fronts, Russia continued its air strikes and deployed artillery.
Fierce fighting broke out across the southern fronts of Ukraine. “Russia is in a defensive position, trying everything to prevent our counter-attack. The enemy has to suffer great losses in terms of manpower, weapons and equipment,” Ms. Maliar said.
In another related development, Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy said Ukraine had recaptured an area near Krasnohorivka, west of the center of the Russian-controlled Donetsk region. The area has been controlled by Russia since 2014.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that while Wagner’s private military forces were complicating the situation in Russia, Ukraine had concentrated its forces to counterattack in Bakhmut to retake the city.
“The Ukrainian side took advantage of the situation when Yevgeny Prigozhin caused a commotion to gather forces from the 35th and 36th marine brigades to launch a counterattack on the city of Bakhmut,” the ministry said in a statement. .
The statement added that Russia prevented this counterattack by carrying out numerous airstrikes and shelling on Ukrainian units.
