On Monday (05 June), Russia claimed that its forces had stopped a significant Ukrainian advance at five locations along the front in the Donetsk area of southern Ukraine and killed hundreds of pro-Kyiv soldiers.
Whether the alleged onslaught signaled the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that Kyiv has been promising for months to retake land captured by Russian soldiers following the invasion of February 2022 was not immediately apparent.
According to Russia, more than 250 Ukrainians were killed. Russia claims to have destroyed equipment and tanks. Ukraine has not responded to Russian assertions.
