In the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city Luhansk and in the surrounding areas it seems that conflicts have been moved with the Russian agency Tass to state that “clouds of smoke rise above the city” while at the same time explosions are constantly heard.

There are also reports of explosions at this time in the area Tokmakin its occupied part Zaporizhia with Vladimir Rogov, a local pro-Russian leader stating in a Telegram post that “The Nazis bombed the city of Tokmak”. About 15 minutes earlier, Ivan Fedorov, the exiled Ukrainian mayor of occupied Melitopol, had reported on Telegram five explosions heard in Mikhailivkawhich is located 45 kilometers east of Tokmak.

The clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces have intensified in recent days since Ukraine has officially launched its long-awaited counter-offensive, a move that the Russian forces were expecting and preparing for. In its daily briefing, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that the country continues to carry out attacks in the regions of southern Donetsk and Bakhmut.

A Russian general was killed in Zaporizhia

In the context of the Ukrainian counterattack, the Russian media reported yesterday Monday that a Ukrainian missile attack on Zaporizhia’s southern front killed one of the experienced Russian generals.

“As a result of the enemy missile attack, the Chief of Staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army, Major Sergei Goryachev, was killed,” the prominent pro-war blogger Boenkor said in a post on Telegram.

Goriachev, one experienced and decorated commanderpreviously led Russian troops in the breakaway Moldavian region of Transnistria.

Voencourt added that “according to representatives of the Joint Task Force (S) command, the military today lost one of its brightest and most effective military leaders.”

Several Russian war bloggers reported that Goryachev was likely killed by a UK-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missile.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the reported death of Goryachev, however, it is believed that more than a dozen Russian generals have been killed since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Seven villages were recaptured by the Ukrainians

At the same time, Ukraine points out that recently set free seven villages in the southeast of the country from Russian control.

These are considered the first victories of Ukraine since the country’s counterattack began, which the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Saturday that it is ongoing.

Here’s the latest map of locations where “the national flag is flying again,” as officials in the Storozheve district said.

Russian forces are resisting

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that his forces repulsed Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Makarivka, Rivnopil and Prisistivka in the southern part of the Donetsk region, as reported by the state news agency RIA.

“In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian troops continued to attempt an offensive in his direction South Donetsk“, according to the Russian ministry’s daily briefing on Tuesday.

“Three attacks by Ukrainian units reinforced with tanks and armored fighting vehicles were repelled in the Makarivka region.”

Two attacks near Rivnopil and one another attack near Prysistivka were also repelled, the Russian ministry said.

“The Ukrainian counterattack is large-scale, Kiev’s losses are tenfold”

The Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4 using reserves, and it is large-scale, the Russian president said on Tuesday Vladimir Putin, claiming that the losses of the Ukrainian forces are ten times that of the Russians.

According to TASS, Putin said that Ukraine lost 25 to 30% of the equipment it received from the West. Specifically, he said that Russia has lost only 54 armored vehicles, while Ukraine over 160.

According to Putin, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed in all areas, and the Ukrainians are suffering heavy losses.

The Russian president claimed that Ukraine is guilty for the destruction of the Kahovka Dam with HIMARS missiles but this was a brake on their counterattack. “All flood victims in the area of ​​the Kakhovka dam will be provided with assistance according to Russian standards,” he said.

“For decades, Russia fed Ukraine and supported its economy,” Vladimir Putin said. “No opportunity was given to Russia to build normal relations with the brotherly Ukrainian people.”

“Russia in the Caucasus fought, among other things, Al-Qaeda and the West supported these terrorists,” he argued.

The president of Russia also noted that the issue of demilitarization of Ukraine still exists.