Ukraine: significant escalation in fighting reported in Donetsk region
GuardianJun 05, 2023
A significant escalation in fighting has been reported in Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in the past day — marking what appeared to be the beginning of Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive.
Russia's defense ministry on Monday issued a statement that said Ukraine launched "a large-scale offensive" from the morning of June 4 in five areas of southern Donetsk. It alleged that Ukraine deployed six mechanized battalions and two tank battalions in the assault.
There has been a significant uptick in fighting in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, likely indicating the beginning of Ukraine's counteroffensive, though this hasn't been confirmed. Either way, any counteroffensive would likely start with feints and diversionary attacks. It's too early to say whether these attacks are the primary assaults.
Ukraine has launched a large-scale counteroffensive effort in the Donetsk region. However, Russian forces repelled the attacks there and inflicted scores of losses on Ukraine's military, vehicles, and equipment. This attempt has been repulsed almost as soon as it got underway.
There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk, or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.