kraine has launched its long-awaited counter-offensive towards Putin’s military with “differential outcomes” amid heavy preventing in a collection of early battles, army consultants mentioned on Friday.

The Institute for the Study of War careworn that Kyiv troops had made advances across the japanese city of Bakhmut.

But it additionally emphasised that Russian forces had apparently defended towards an assault within the western Zaporizhzhia province “in a doctrinally sound manner”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed what he described as “results” in Donetsk area in japanese Ukraine.

“There is very heavy fighting in Donetsk region,” Mr Zelensky mentioned in his day by day video message.

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“But there are results and I am grateful to those who achieved these results. Well done in Bakhmut. Step by step,” he mentioned.

In additional element from the Washington-based suppose tank it mentioned:

• Ukrainian officers had signalled that Ukrainian forces have transitioned from defensive to offensive operations within the Bakhmut sector and are making positive aspects of between 200 metres and practically two kilometre (1.2 miles) on the flanks of the japanese city.
• Ukrainian forces made tactical positive aspects throughout restricted localised counter-attacks in western Donetsk province, close to the border with the Zaporizhzhia province.
• Ukrainian forces additionally performed an assault in western Zaporizhzhia province on the evening of June 7 to eight however don't seem to have made positive aspects as a part of this assault, or at the least not early on, with Moscow claiming Russian troops had regained misplaced positions.

The ISW has warned that Ukrainian forces might face their hardest challenges as they search to initially breach Russian defensive strains and so might undergo heavy losses within the early a part of the counter-offensive.

Russia's military on Friday reported heavy preventing within the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia areas of Ukraine, saying over 21 Ukrainian tanks had been destroyed in battles throughout key sections of the entrance line.

However, claims from Moscow should be handled with warning given the usually inaccurate propaganda issued by the Kremlin and Russian defence minsistry.

A spokesman for Russia's Vostok group of forces mentioned 13 Ukrainian tanks had been destroyed in battles within the Zaporizhzhia area and eight within the Donetsk area. It reported artillery, drone and infantry battles.

These claims couldn't be independently verified.

Russian army bloggers mentioned there have been intense battles on the Zaporizhzhia entrance close to town of Orikhiv as Ukraine sought to pierce Russian defences and drive a wedge by means of Russian forces.

Russia mentioned Ukraine started a significant offensive on Sunday morning, first in southern Donetsk, however Moscow mentioned its forces repelled the assaults. Ukraine accuses Russia of spreading misinformation.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air drive mentioned on Friday that it shot down 4 cruise missiles and 10 assault drones throughout a Russian air strike in a single day.

It mentioned Russian forces had launched 16 drones and 6 cruise missiles through the assault, and that two different cruise missiles had struck a civilian object in central Ukraine throughout an earlier assault on Thursday night.