Ukrainian troops have recaptured four villages in the south, near Kherson; however, their main target is the city of Kherson, a source in the Ukrainian Armed Forces told CNN.
“The operation started at night. The main direction of the attack was on Pravdyne. We hit their infantry from DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LNR (Luhansk People’s Republic) and they ran away. We liberated four villages. Their first line of defense has been breached in three places,” a CNN source said, adding that the Ukrainians have regained control over the following villages: Nova Dmitrivka, Arkhanheleski, Tomina Balka and Pravdyne.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, for its part, announced a repelling of Ukraine’s counterattack. The agency says Ukrainian troops suffered heavy losses during an unsuccessful attack in three directions in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.
“26 Ukrainian tanks, 23 infantry fighting vehicles, nine more armored vehicles were destroyed, two Su-25 attack aircraft were shot down. The enemy lost more than 560 servicemen”, the Ministry of Defense of Russia said.
The authorities of Ukraine have not made an official statement on the ongoing fighting in the south of Ukraine. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak called on politicians and experts “not to speculate on the information about the progress of the military operation before the statements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces or Ukrainian defense officials.”
