MILITARY
Tegenoffensief Oekraïne komt op gang
June 9, 2023 - Ukraine's military has launched attacks on occupying Russian forces in the key Zaporizhya region, in what appears to be the first heavily armoured assaults of its long-anticipated counter-offensive.
Russian officials and military bloggers saay Ukrainian troops – backed by tanks, artillery and drones –are trying to advance south of the town of Orikhiv, BBC reports.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed local official, said Russian troops were holding their positions amid "active fighting" towards the city of Tokmak, seen as a key target for Ukraine as it seeks to advance to the Sea of Azov.
Ukrainian forces are hoping to secure a breakthrough in the south and sever the “land bridge” connecting Russia with Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces, cutting off supply lines to the Crimean peninsula currently under Moscow’s control.