Russia’s defences could be ‘more fragile than thought’, western officials have warned as Ukraine finally begins its much-anticipated ‘all or nothing’ counter-offensive.
The frontline assault comes after weeks of intensive behind-the-scenes preparations, including vital training by UK troops, and some 16 months after Putin’s illegal invasion.
Ukrainian forces have advanced in Novodonetske by up to five or six kilometres, local reports suggest, as officials claim ‘fierce battles are going on’ for control of the settlement.
American and European military officials advising Kyiv have claimed that Kremlin defensive lines may be fragile, an insider told The Economist today.
Semyon Pegov, a prominent Kremlin-affiliated ‘milblogger’, confirmed that Ukraine had ‘some success’ in an attack in Novoselivka-Ugledar and claimed updates from the Russian-controlled region were ‘more and more alarming every hour’.
Pegov, commonly known under his alias Wargonzo, said the war is ‘heating up’ and that today’s attack was ‘much more serious than yesterday’.