Russia says it thwarted Ukrainian attacks in annexed provinces

Authorities in Moscow say Russian forces thwarted Ukrainian attacks in provinces the Kremlin illegally annexed, while Kyiv is accusing Moscow of spreading misinformation.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian official in southeast Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed in the region early Monday.

He claimed that “the enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday,” adding that Ukraine’s offensive is “more large-scale and organized.”

The Russia defense ministry, meanwhile, said on Telegram that it stopped an attack launched by Ukrainian forces in the South Donetsk region, Reuters reported.

“On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the defense ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram, according to the news service.

“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” the statement said. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.”

Ukraine, however, accused Russia of spreading misinformation without directly mentioning the attacks Moscow claimed Kyiv was orchestrating.

Kyiv has reportedly been planning a counteroffensive against Russia forces for months, creating high expectations. Without achieving a significant advance against Russian occupiers, Ukraine could risk losing international support.

Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine, also posted a video on Twitter on Sunday with a soldier putting his finger to their lips to symbolize keeping quiet. The screen said, “Plans love silence,” and, “There will be no announcement of the start.”