Ukrainian forces have made further gains around Bakhmut and in western Donetsk, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its update from June 9.
The D.C.-based think tank said Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in at least four areas of the front.
The Russian information space, however, has prematurely claimed that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has already failed, pointing to damages Ukrainian military equipment has already sustained.
"Some prominent Russian ultranationalists claimed that damaged or destroyed Western-provided equipment indicated that Ukrainian forces failed to launch a large-scale counteroffensive," the ISW wrote.
Other Russian nationalists are already celebrating Russian forces, which are "only executing basic defensive operations that should not be so unusual as to deserve wide praise."
Ukrainian officials said that they expected equipment losses during counteroffensive operations, adding that the Russian side amplified the reported losses for informational effects, according to ISW.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin also acknowledged that the Ukrainian counteroffensive began, saying that Ukrainian forces still have offensive potential. This acknowledgement marks a departure from downplaying the counteroffensive.
The shift would fit with Kremlin's new information policy, which focuses on Russian destruction of the Ukrainian equipment instead of downplaying the operations, ISW wrote.
Kate Tsurkan
