1000s of troops on standby for the fightback
THOUSANDS of Ukrainian troops are advancing for the long-awaited fightback against Russian forces.
It is believed attacks are already being launched along the 650-mile frontline, beating back Putin’s infantry by several miles in parts, in a precursor to a major offensive.
Desperate Russian commanders have claimed Ukraine is attacking at least five points in south east Ukraine in a bid to form a corridor towards the occupied Crimea Peninsula.
Russia launched at least 35 cruise missiles across Ukraine in the early hours yesterday, all of them shot down, and 71 artillery strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region.
It is believed Ukraine has advanced 15 brigades of troops, many of them newly trained and armed with Western-donated anti-tank weapons, artillery and tanks.
A source told the Mirror: “Ukrainian troops are moving forward and launching probing missions to force Russian commanders to move their forces around.
“These shaping operations are becoming probing operations as a prelude to the main counter-offensive.”
Ukraine’s military successes in the past two days were welcomed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who dismissed Russia’s counter-claims of beating back his troops as “hysterical”.
Sources claimed Kyiv’s troops had in the past 24 hours attacked deep into once-russian held territory in south east Donetsk.
Western armoured personnel carriers and attack vehicles have reportedly been spotted close to the frontline, in a further sign Kyiv’s major pushback has already begun.
Sources have claimed that troops have pushed Russian infantry out of Novodonetske, in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s intelligence assessments said: “The adversary continues to focus its main efforts on attempts to fully occupy Luhansk and Donetsk regions. During the day of June 5 there were more than 40 combat engagements.”
Russian commanders claimed several of their SU-25 attack warplanes had raked Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian troops appear in a slick video, making the “hush” sign with finger to their lips, asking the public to keep details of the counter-offensive to themselves.
The video also aims to whittle away at Russian morale.