Ukrainian counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia – as Russia tries to cripple power grid
A Ukrainian counteroffensive has made gains along the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Kyiv has said its forces have been advancing around the town of Dobropillia, near a key logistical target for Russian troops in the Donetsk region, for several weeks.
In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president said his forces had also made gains of more than 3km (1.8 miles) further south in the Zaporizhzhia region.
“At this time, Ukrainian units are continuing our counteroffensive actions near Dobropillia, but also in other sectors – particularly in Zaporizhzhia region near Orikhiv,” he said.
A Russian Defence Ministry report made no reference to Ukrainian advances but said Moscow’s troops had hit Ukrainian troops and equipment in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The countries have been giving conflicting accounts of the situation along the frontline, which is estimated to stretch 1,250 km (775 miles), in the war that has raged for more than three and a half years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told senior officers last week that Moscow’s forces had captured 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles) of territory this year and have held the strategic advantage through all sectors of the frontline.
The next day, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops near Dobropillia and were “defending ourselves along all other directions”.
Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine’s power grid overnight as part of of an ongoing campaign to cripple the country’s energy infrastructure before winter.
“Russia continues its aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday.
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He said Russia had launched “more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and around 1,360 glide bombs” over the past week.
He also called for tighter sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and said he had a “very productive” phone call with Donald Trump in which they discussed “air defence, resilience, and long-range capabilities,” along with “details related to the energy sector”.
Mr Zelenskyy said on Friday he was in discussions with US officials about the possible provision of various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
The US president, who has been frustrated in his efforts to end the war by Russian objections, said earlier this week he has “sort of made a decision” on whether to send Tomahawks to Ukraine, without saying more.
A senior Ukrainian delegation is set to visit the US this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Sunday that “the topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern”.
