For “wide scale attack” of Ukrainian forces in Zaporizhia in the early hours of June 8, Russian sources say, however, Kiev denied the information.

Kiev forces have launched their long-awaited counteroffensive to retake the occupied territories, according to Russian sources on social media and state media.

Andrei Rudenko, a correspondent for Russia’s state-run Rossiya 24 television channel, said Ukraine launched a tank attack in the direction of Zaporizhia that was repelled by Russian troops. He added that Ukraine had “many seriously wounded soldiers who lay on the battlefield.”

Vladimir Rogov, an appointed official of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, also said that the Ukrainian armed forces attacked the Zaporizhia region with a tank group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It said that on Wednesday night Ukrainian forces likely used US-supplied HIMARS systems to open fire on the town of Tokmak, the TASS news agency reported, and that heavy fighting was taking place in the area. The Operational Reports channel reported that the attack began at 4 am. According to a Russian source, the armed forces of Ukraine massively bombarded Russian positions.

“The enemy is constantly shelling our positions with artillery and tanks, trying to raze them to the ground,” Rogov wrote on his Telegram channel. After heavy fighting, Rogov reported that the attack had stopped, citing a frontline source.

Rogov said that, according to the estimates of the military and local residents, no there had never been such a massive hit in the city throughout the special operation.

The designated official added that Russian troops repelled the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was helped by minefields, artillery and air force work, he said.

For its part, the Russian Storm Z unit told TASS that Ukrainian forces tried to advance on the village of Lomkove with at least 20 military vehicles and 100 infantrymen, but were “repulsed” and suffered casualties.

However, Newsweek contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry about the Russian allegations. THE Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, denied statements by Russian officials that the counter-offensive had already begun, calling them “untrue.”

In the meantime, stable and under control is the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after the destruction of the Kahovka Hydroelectric Power Station and its dam, the Ukrainian nuclear power company announced today.