Ukraine begins ‘big push’ in huge frontline assault
Fightback under way as clip shows troops in WW1-style ground charge
‘Unmask the Russian guns’
Ukraine has begun its big push to drive out russian troops from its territory – 16 months after Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion.
Since then, the war has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, threatened the security of Britain and other european countries and cost tens of billions of pounds.
Finally, after weeks of intensive behindthe-scenes preparations, including vital training by Uk troops, Ukraine has started its ‘all or nothing’ offensive.
Last night, fighting was raging at several flashpoints along the 600- mile frontline in eastern Ukraine with Western military hardware key to the offensive. in scenes reminiscent of the First World War, Ukrainian soldiers scrambled out of trenches as attacks were carried out in novodarovka, rivnopol and Velyka novosilka.
already, German- made tanks and French armoured personnel carriers have been sighted, while Uk-provided Storm Shadow missiles and Challenger 2 tanks are predicted to play key roles in the battles ahead.
The series of probes were intended to identify weaknesses in russia’s defences, according to British experts, rather than to recapture huge swathes of territory.
Once the Ukrainians have seen where the kremlin’s forces are vulnerable, the main effort to dislodge Putin’s massed ranks is expected to begin.
ed arnold, of the royal United Services institute think- tank, said: ‘ We are seeing a lot more Ukrainian military activity and reconnaissance on a larger scale.
They need to understand the disposition of russian forces and to unmask the russian guns, which have a range of 12-18 miles and have been placed with overlapping arcs to cover as much of the frontline as possible.
‘Storm Shadows could be used for high value targets, such as ammunition stores for these russian guns,’ Mr arnold said. Last night, details of the crucial advance remained shrouded in secrecy. a news blackout, imposed by Ukraine and supported by its allies such as the Uk, meant details were scarce.
reports of the counter-offensive came from russian military bloggers and the head of the Wagner paramilitary group.
They suggested small- scale attacks in southern Donetsk region had taken place.
Ukraine is said to have managed to break through russia’s lines before being repelled. Claims from the kremlin of inflicting 250 casualties could not be verified.
kyiv did not comment directly, but the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, wrote on Telegram: ‘The defence forces are working. We continue to move forward,’ with footage of what he said were tanks from Ukraine’s 3rd Separate assault Brigade assaulting russian positions.
The rybar channel on Telegram, which has more than a million subscribers, said six Ukrainian tanks, supported by infantry troops and armoured personnel carriers, had attacked novodarovka, rivnopol and Velyka novosilka.
Wagner chief Mr Prigozhin, who has become an outspoken critic of the kremlin, said Ukraine had recaptured territory near Bakhmut, the city where it is believed as many as 60,000 rus
‘Split at its weakest point’
sian troops have been killed or wounded in the last year.
it is up to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his military advisors to identify where along the 600-mile frontline to launch a main thrust.
Ukraine has hundreds of British and other international tanks and thousands of armoured personnel carriers waiting in staging areas for this decision to be made.
Western allies are understood to want Ukraine to concentrate its efforts on splitting russia’s frontline at its weakest point.
Such an insertion would cut off the southern sector of russianoccupied territory, including the strategically significant Crimean peninsula and the city of Mariupol. The counter- offensive is expected to last several months.