Moscow [Russia], June 10: The Russian leader said Ukraine had begun a counterattack but failed, and announced that Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons would be deployed in Belarus from July.
Putin said Ukraine has begun to counterattack
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 9 that Ukraine had certainly begun its long-awaited counter-offensive , but all attempts to advance had failed and Kyiv's forces suffered heavy casualties.
Putin's comments bolstered Moscow's claims since the start of the week that the start of the counter-offensive would not be announced. Kyiv does not comment on such claims.
According to Putin, Ukraine's casualties have far exceeded the usual ratio of 3: 1 (that is, the offensive force lost three times more than the defensive force). "All counter-attacks made so far have failed. But the offensive potential of the Kyiv army is still preserved," the Russian president said, according to Reuters.
The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said it had repelled fierce attacks in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk provinces, which killed more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and destroyed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, but did not give any information. provide any evidence for your claim.
The ministry also said Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian line four times with two battalions supported by tanks just south of VelykaNovosilka in the Donetsk region, but were repelled. In addition, Russian forces repelled two attacks south of the city of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia province.
More evidence shows that the hydroelectric dam in Ukraine was blown up
According to reports by Ukrainian and US intelligence as well as seismic data from Norway, there is growing evidence that an explosion occurred at the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine around the time of the dam failure.
According to Reuters, Ukraine's security service said on June 9 that it had obtained a recording of a phone call proving that a Russian "sabotage group" blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and dam in the early morning of June 6 in Kherson province. . Accordingly, the 1-and-a-half minute long recording shows the two men discussing the consequences of the sabotage in Russian.
The Norwegian research organization Norsar said on the same day that seismic data collected in the area showed clear signs of an explosion. Specifically, data from a seismic station in Romania at 2:54 am on June 6 (local time) shows that an explosion occurred, and such a time coincides with media reports about the dam failure.
Meanwhile, a US official was quoted by The New York Times as saying that US spy satellites had detected an explosion at the dam. The official said satellites equipped with infrared sensors detected heat signatures that correlated with a large explosion.
Russian nuclear weapons will be deployed in Belarus from July
Russia will begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after special storage facilities are ready for reception on July 7, according to President Putin. This will be the first time Moscow has moved such warheads outside of Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
In March, Putin said he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, saying it was similar to the US deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a range of European countries for decades.
"Everything is going according to plan," Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on June 9. The two discussed nuclear deployment plans during a meal at the Russian leader's resort in the Black Sea city of Sochi, according to Reuters.
"Preparation of the relevant facilities ends on July 7 and 7 and we will immediately begin operations related to the deployment of appropriate weapons on your territory," Putin said. , according to a transcript of the leader's speech released by the Kremlin.
US announces $2 billion military aid to Ukraine
The US Department of Defense on June 9 announced new $2.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition, amid signs that Kyiv has begun a counter-offensive. to repel Russia, according to Reuters.
The package includes additional ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, the Raytheon HAWK air and missile defense system, 105 mm and 203 mm artillery shells, small hand-launched AeroVironment drones, ammunition for the laser-guided rocket systems, as well as training and maintenance support.
Money from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) will be used to buy weapons, allowing the administration of US President Joe Biden to buy weapons from defense companies, rather than taking them from military stockpiles. American team.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper