Ukrainian authorities said on Friday that the special operation carried out off the coast of the Crimean peninsula on Thursday was not the first of its kind since the start of the Russian invasion.
This statement was made by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksi Danilov, on the Radio Liberty station. “Not all operations can be counted,” he argued.
“All I can say is that [as operações] will end only when the entire territory of our country, including Crimea, is free from terrorists,” Danilov noted, emphasizing that the option of military intervention on that peninsula is not ruled out as long as the Russians have not understood that “they are leaving “.
While the small raid on Thursday at dawn was more symbolic than military – Ukrainian soldiers managed to raise the flag on the peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow since 2014 in preparation for Independence Day celebrations – Danilov stressed that the Russians were unable to go with the military sent from Kiev.
“I can say that it was a very powerful operation in Crimea, using the most modern weapons (…) They have no means to prevent us from fulfilling the task that the President has entrusted to us,” said the Minister of Security and Justice. Defense.
A naval and Ukrainian intelligence group landed in an area between the towns of Olenivka and Mayak, in the far west of Crimea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the operation, although he acknowledged that it is “too early” to talk about the “liberation” of the peninsula, which Kiev appears unwilling to give up in a possible negotiation with Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are continuing their offensive operation towards Melitopol, in the south of the country, according to the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, quoted by the agency Ukrinform.
“Ukrainian armed forces continue to carry out the offensive operation towards Melitopol, gain a foothold at the borders reached and conduct counter-batteries,” the report said.
At night, the Russian Federation launched another air and missile strike on Ukrainian territory.
According to the report, Russia has launched seven rocket attacks, 47 airstrikes and 69 MLRS artillery attacks against Ukrainian troop positions and locations in the past 24 hours, killing civilians and damaging residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.
The report also states that 35 battles took place between Ukrainian forces and the Russian invading forces during the same period.
In northeastern Ukraine, Russian forces have shifted their attention from the railway hub of Koupjansk to the towns of Nova Gorivka and Lyman, a Ukrainian military spokesman said.
“At the moment, the enemy seems to have focused on New Gorivka and Lyman,” Ilia Yevlash, spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Command, told Ukrainian television.
According to this source, the Russian army in the northeastern part of the front has been reinforced in the past 24 hours with a huge detachment of soldiers to push back the forces of Kiev.
On the axis of the Kupyansk-Lyman front, Ukraine has already claimed to have destroyed several T-80 tanks and multiple artillery systems, in addition to causing casualties to enemy forces.
According to the Ukrainian spokesman, Russia continues to resort to near-suicidal attacks, forcing its soldiers to attack even without the support of heavy weapons.
The source also said Ukraine maintains intense counter-battery activity that is causing “devastating damage” to Russian anti-aircraft missiles.
The Kiev military spokesman also pointed out that Russian drones are causing a lot of problems on the front lines.
Information released by Ukraine and Russia about the course of the war that began with the Russian invasion on February 22, 2022 cannot be immediately verified by independent sources.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has declared the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Cherson and Zaporijia.
Kiev is demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from all over Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine has been engaged in a counter-offensive since June, but Ukrainian leaders have admitted slow progress and modest gains.
Western allies have been arming Kiev and imposing sanctions on Russian interests to try to reduce Moscow’s ability to fund the war effort.
Source: DN
