Russia says Kiev launched 'large-scale' attack, Kremlin warns West over missiles sent to Ukraine
The Russian military said that on June 4, Ukrainian soldiers launched attacks on many defensive positions of Moscow's armed forces in the Donbass region.
A statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense early this morning (June 5) said that the day before, the Ukrainian army had conducted many attacks on five points in the frontline area in the Donbass region.
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| Illustration photo. Photo: AP |
“The attack was carried out by the enemy on the morning of June 4, with the aim of breaking through the Russian defense line at what was considered our weakest point at the front. However, the enemy’s offensive efforts failed to achieve their goals,” RT news agency quoted a part of the statement as saying.
According to the statement, Kiev mobilized the 23rd and 31st mechanized brigades from the “strategic reserve” to support other units in the attack. “The enemy lost more than 250 soldiers, 16 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles and 21 other armored vehicles.”
Ukraine has not yet responded to the content of the statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Kremlin warns West about missiles sent to Ukraine
The Kremlin said on June 4 that any supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine by France and Germany would lead to “a further spiral of tension” in the conflict.
“We have already begun to see discussions about the transfer to Ukraine of missiles with a range of 500km and more by France and Germany. This is a completely different type of weapon, and it will lead to a deeper spiral of tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 channel.
According to The Guardian, Mr. Peskov's statement came as Germany and France were said to be following Britain in providing long-range weapons to the Ukrainian army.
Specifically, the Kiev government recently asked Berlin to provide Taurus cruise missiles with a range of up to 500km. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris would deliver to Ukraine missiles “with a range that will allow the country to carry out a long-awaited counterattack”.
Russian border province attacked
The Russian Defense Ministry said that several of its units and officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) fought with a number of Ukrainian commandos in Belgorod province on June 4.
“On June 4, units of the Western Military District and the FSB Border Guard Service detected an attempt by a Ukrainian reconnaissance group to cross the river near the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the Belgorod region. During the fighting, we used artillery to force the enemy forces to retreat,” the TASS news agency quoted a statement as saying.
According to RT news agency, this is the second large-scale attack carried out by Ukraine on Belgorod province in the past two weeks. Previously, on May 22, a number of Ukrainian military units, equipped with many Western weapons, launched an attack on some areas of this province. However, this force was quickly repelled by the Russian army.
