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Defense Ministry: Ukrainian forces on offensive in Bakhmut direction, other areas

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Defense Ministry: Ukrainian forces on offensive in Bakhmut direction, other areas
Ukrainian servicemen fire an M777 howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on March 17, 2023, (Getty Images)

Ukraine's forces are successfully advancing in the Bakhmut direction along a "fairly wide front," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram on June 5.

Russian reports about the alleged start of the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier today are meant to divert attention from Moscow's defeat near Bakhmut, Maliar explained.

Ukrainian troops are holding dominant heights around the city, while Russian forces remain on the defensive.

Small-scale fighting is taking place in the south, where Russia is also on the defensive, but the Bakhmut direction remains the epicenter of hostilities, Maliar commented.

Earlier on June 5, the Russian Defense Ministry reported a "large-scale offensive on five sectors of the front in the southern Donetsk area," claiming heavy losses on Ukraine's side.

Russia reports Ukrainian ground attacks in Donetsk Oblast in possible launch of counteroffensive
In the early hours of June 5, the first announcement of what looks like it could be the start of a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive came from an unusual source. At 1:31 a.m. Kyiv time, the Russian Defense Ministry, which famously floundered in silence in response to Ukraine’s
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Ukraine's officials made no comment.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 3 that Kyiv's forces are ready for the counteroffensive.

On June 4, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov published a video on Twitter calling for operational secrecy.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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