MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along the front line and inflicted hundreds of losses on enemy forces, challenging Kyiv's assertion that Ukraine was making slow but steady progress in a counteroffensive.
Russia controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014 and a swathe of eastern and southern Ukraine which it took control of in 2022.
"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern grouping of troops, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, repelled 12 attacks," the Russian defence ministry said.
"In the Zaporizhzhia direction, units of the Russian group of troops during the day repelled five attacks," it added.
Ukraine has been trying to pierce Russian lines just south of the city of Orikhiv in an attempt to divide Russian forces and put its main supply lines under threat.
Persons:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn
Organizations:
Reuters
Locations:
MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Bakhmut, Robotyne, Moscow, Donetsk, Russian, Orikhiv