https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/06/04/multimedia/04ukraine-ledeall-topart/jfgz-facebookJumbo.jpg
Loud explosions rocked the front line in Ukraine on Sunday as both sides prepared for an upcoming Ukrainian operation to retake territory captured by Russia in the ongoing 15-month war. The death of a two-year-old girl was reported as a tragic reminder of the conflict’s toll on civilians.
Ukrainian officials reported another wave of missile strikes and attack drones launched by Russian forces targeting cities and towns across Ukraine overnight, while explosions were heard in Melitopol and Berdiansk, two southern Ukrainian cities that analysts suggest could potentially be targets of Kyiv’s forthcoming counteroffensive. These strikes come as Ukraine has been gearing up for the long-awaited operation and have been interpreted as an attempt to destabilize Ukrainian defenses.
In occupied Crimea, Russia’s installed authorities claimed to have intercepted nine Ukrainian drones overnight. Although the report could not be independently verified, it is consistent with a series of reported attacks across occupied areas that many military analysts believe are targeted at weakening Russia’s defenses before an anticipated counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces.
Ukrainian officials had publicly announced Kyiv’s forces’ readiness to launch the counteroffensive after months of preparation. In an unusual move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked a dozen individual soldiers by name for their service to the country in an overnight speech.
The Ukrainian President’s speech marked a departure from his usual practice of highlighting specific military units. Zelensky’s intention was to give “more personal words of gratitude to particular warriors,” noting the close bond forged between civilians and their military after Moscow’s invasion last year.
As the Ukrainian military prepares to counterattack, Russia has been ramping up its missile strikes, raining deadly aerial assaults down on Ukrainian cities and towns.
Tragically, a two-year-old girl was killed during a Russian strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The body of the girl was pulled from the rubble of her home on Sunday morning, while 22 others — including five children — were wounded in the attack on the village of Pidhorodne on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Air Force officials announced that four out of six cruise missiles fired by Russian forces had been intercepted and destroyed, adding that air defenses successfully targeted three out of five attack drones as well.
Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, has been subjected to frequent Russian attacks in the recent wave of aerial assaults. Russian missile strikes were targeted at Kyiv overnight; however, all incoming missiles were successfully shot down before hitting their targets, and city residents were not alerted of the strikes. This development comes amid reports from Russian-occupied regions that the southern part of Ukraine could well be a focus of the upcoming counteroffensive, with both sides reportedly beefing up their forces along the southern front line in anticipation.
Residents of the northern suburbs of Melitopol reported five blasts late on Saturday, with Ukrainian Mayor Ivan Fedorov sharing blurry photographs of smoke rising in the distance on Telegram. However, there was no way to independently verify the reports of explosions, and here was no independent confirmation of an attack.
Eight blasts were reported in Berdiansk, a southern port city in the Zaporizhzhia region over the weekend, with local authorities urging residents to avoid the sites. According to the Russia-installed authorities in the city, the blasts were a result of air defenses intercepting a Ukrainian missile attack; it was impossible to independently confirm or deny the veracity of the report.
Berdiansk and Melitopol are two strategically crucial cities that Russia has transformed into military strongholds, connecting Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s east and south via a coastal strip of land measuring about 60 miles. Ukraine has been stepping up its attacks on Russian targets in the region but has yet to make a concerted effort to breach Russian defenses along the front line in the south.
Some Ukrainian officials and military experts believe that focusing on when the counteroffensive might begin as opposed to allowing for a gradual process would be a distraction. Nonetheless, as the conflict enters its summer phase, many experts anticipate that Ukraine will regain the initiative, exploiting Russian weaknesses to counterattack.
Mick Ryan, a retired Australian general and military analyst, argued that there is “no perfect time” for Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive. However, he also stated that “there will be a time that is optimum for Ukrainian force preparations and where they are most able to exploit Russian weaknesses … that time is close.”
