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NATO-supplied tanks destroyed in failed Ukrainian offensive - Russian MOD

© Sascha Schuermann / Getty Images

Russian forces have repelled a renewed large-scale attack by Ukrainian troops in several parts of Donetsk and Zaporozhye Regions, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in the early hours of Tuesday, claiming that Kiev's armed formations and military units suffered "significant losses."

"Having suffered heavy losses the day before, the Kiev regime reorganized the remnants of the 23rd and 31st mechanized brigades into separate combined units, which continued the offensive operations close to Novodarovka and Levadnoye," said the ministry's spokesman, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.

The renewed offensive mainly focused on the village of Vremevka in Donetsk Region, but was stopped by missile, artillery and heavy rocket-propelled flamethrower strikes, according to Konashenkov.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces' total losses in south Donetsk direction were over 1,500 servicemen, 28 tanks, including eight German-made Leopard tanks and three French-manufactured AMX-10 wheeled tanks, as well as 109 other armored fighting vehicles," the Russian military spokesman said.

It was unclear if the tally included the losses from Sunday's botched attack, which was described as "large-scale" yet "unsuccessful" by the Russian military. In that attempt alone, Kiev lost more than 250 service members, 16 tanks, three infantry vehicles, and 21 armored vehicles, according to the ministry.

Some videos circulated by military bloggers on Telegram showed what appeared to be several abandoned French AMX-10 light tanks, but did not include visual confirmation of the German-made Leopards reportedly lost in battle.

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to release footage of the latest strikes on Ukrainian military vehicles. On Monday, it published a video of Ukrainian heavy equipment, supplied by Western nations, being destroyed by Russian strikes the day before.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Maliar confirmed that Kiev's forces were moving to "offensive actions" in some areas, but provided no comment on the failed attacks and claimed that Moscow's talk about Kiev's "counteroffensive" blunders was an attempt to "divert attention" from its own alleged failures.

Russian forces shoot down Ukrainian Su-25 strike fighter - media

© Sputnik / Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

Russian forces have stopped Kiev's troops from crossing the Dnieper River in the Kherson region and shot down one of the two Su-25 strike fighters providing air cover for the Ukrainian landing operation, RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing a source "familiar with the situation."

"Another attempted ... landing operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has failed," the source told the news agency. According to the report Kiev's troops sought to cross the river near the village of Babino, some 124 kilometers from the strategic town of Novaya Kakhovka, site of a dam on the Dnieper that also served as a bridge before being seriously damaged by Ukrainian strikes.

During the clashes near Babino, the Russian troops managed to shoot down a Su-25 strike fighter, the source claimed, adding that the aircraft fell in territory controlled by Ukrainian forces. The second strike fighter then flew away, leaving the landing party without air cover, the source said.

Kiev has not commented on the reports. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry mentioned neither the failed landing operation nor the presumably downed aircraft in its Monday evening public statement. Instead, it said that the "situation ... on the Kherson front has not seen any particular changes."

The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the situation. The news came as Russian troops successfully repelled a major Ukrainian offensive in the southern part of the Donetsk People's Republic. Kiev's troops, which deployed six mechanized and two tank battalions, lost up to 300 service members, 16 tanks, 26 armored and 14 ordinary vehicles in the botched operation, according to a ministry statement.

Later on Monday, the Russian ministry also published a video of the Ukrainian heavy equipment, supplied by Western nations, being destroyed by Russian strikes.

VIDEO shows Russian forces repelling Ukrainian offensive

© Telegram / Russian Defense Ministry

A video showing losses suffered by Ukrainian troops in their unsuccessful attack in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic has been released by the Russian Defense Ministry (MOD). It shows Ukrainian heavy equipment, mostly supplied by Kiev's Western backers, being destroyed by Russian strikes during the clashes on Sunday.

The footage published by the MOD on its Telegram channel shows six Ukrainian vehicles moving through open terrain. Five of them appear to be Western-supplied Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, with the sixth resembling an armored personnel carrier or an armored fighting vehicle.

Three of the MRAPs are then shown being destroyed by Russian strikes, with one of them engulfed in plumes of gray smoke. The video also shows four more examples of heavy equipment being taken out while apparently moving along a country road.

The presentation ends with several views of Ukrainian armored vehicles and at least one tank being hit by Russian projectiles. The exact quantity of destroyed Ukrainian equipment remains unclear.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry said that a large-scale Ukrainian offensive attempt in the southern part of the Donetsk People's Republic had been successfully repelled by Russian forces on Sunday. Ukraine fielded six mechanized and two tank battalions for the operation, the MOD stated.

The ministry reported that Kiev's forces lost up to 300 service members, 16 tanks, 26 armored and 14 ordinary vehicles over the last 24 hours. Later, a spokesman for the Russian 'East' troop grouping said in a video statement that one Ukrainian mechanized brigade alone lost over 250 soldiers, 16 tanks and 24 armored vehicles, including three US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, during the botched assault.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces continued their attacks in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic and sent three fresh battalion tactical groups supported by tanks into action, the spokesman said, adding that the Ukrainian forces' advance attempt had been thwarted.

Kiev admitted on Monday that its troops had launched an offensive "on certain fronts." Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister, Anna Maliar, downplayed the situation "in the south" as "local fighting." She also claimed that the military had launched a major operation targeting the key Donbass city of Artyomovsk, known as Bakhmut in Ukraine.

Artyomovsk was captured by the Wagner private military company founded by Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin in late May 2023. Since then, Ukrainian forces have attempted to attack the flanks of the Russian forces holding the city. On Monday, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, described the situation in the area as "difficult" but still "under control."

The Russian Defense Ministry has not reported on any major Ukrainian offensives in the Artyomovsk area.

Ukraine 'well prepared' for counteroffensive - top US general

© AP / Jacquelyn Martin
Mark Milley testifies during a Senate hearing in Washington DC, May 11, 2023

Ukraine is "very well prepared" for its long-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CNN on Monday. However, Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in a multi-pronged attack earlier in the day, and Milley cautioned that it's "too early to tell" if the offensive will achieve its goals.

Citing the "training, ammunition, advice, intelligence, etc" provided to Kiev by its Western backers, Milley claimed that Ukraine is "very well prepared" to retake territory from Russian forces.

Ukrainian officials have promised for months to launch a counteroffensive, which was initially set to take place in spring. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed on multiple occasions that his military was "ready" for the anticipated push, but walked back these statements by saying that he needed more time, and Western weapons, to prepare for the operation.

Throughout this preparatory period, Ukraine reportedly lost around 50,000 servicemen in the battle for the Donbass city of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, as Russian missiles and drones continuously pounded ammunition dumps, fuel depots, and command centers, often deep into Western Ukraine.

Amid mixed messages from Kiev and with its combat potential seemingly degraded by the fighting in Artyomovsk, the Ukrainian military launched what appeared to be the beginning of a counteroffensive on Sunday. Throughout Sunday and into Monday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Kiev's forces attacked with six mechanized and two tank battalions along five sections of the frontline near Donetsk, and in other regions to the north and south.

The Russian military repelled the attacks with airstrikes and artillery fire, inflicting "significant losses" on the Ukrainians, the ministry said. According to Moscow, Ukraine has lost around 900 soldiers, 16 tanks, and 33 armored vehicles across the entire frontline since Sunday.

Milley has repeatedly stated that Ukraine is unlikely to achieve its goals - which include seizing Crimea - by military force. Speaking to CNN on Monday, he continued to hedge his bets, saying that it is "too early to tell what outcomes are going to happen."