Moscow confirmed that intense clashes erupted yesterday, Sunday, across three sectors of the frontline in Ukraine, a day after hosting an African peace mission that failed in its mission both in Moscow and Kyiv. A Russian-appointed official stated that Ukraine had recaptured a village in the Zaporizhia region in the southern part of the country and that its forces were holed up there while under Russian artillery fire.
The official, named Vladimir Rogov, stated via Telegram, "The enemy's consecutive attacks have yielded results despite heavy losses." The Russian Ministry of Defense did not mention this in its daily report, stating instead that its forces repelled Ukrainian attacks in three sectors of the frontline that spans 1,000 kilometers. A separate statement from the Russian Vostok group claimed that Ukraine did not succeed in taking control of the village.
No comment has been issued from Ukraine, which stated last week that it had recaptured another nearby village, Lobkov, along with a series of villages to the east in the Donetsk region as its long-awaited counteroffensive began. Ukrainian officials have imposed a media blackout to support operational security, but they say that Russia has sustained significantly greater losses than the Ukrainian forces during their latest offensive.
A regional official reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed a large Russian ammunition depot in the occupied Kherson region as part of Kyiv's ongoing efforts for weeks to disrupt Russian supply lines. British military intelligence revealed that fierce fighting in recent days has centered on Zaporizhia, western Donetsk, and around Bakhmut, which fell to Russian control last month after a battle that was the longest during this war.
They added on Twitter, "Ukraine continues offensive operations in all these areas, achieving slight progress." According to British military intelligence assessments, Russian defensive operations have been "relatively effective in the south," where both sides have suffered heavy losses.
A few days earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who rarely comments on the course of the war, made unusually detailed remarks mocking the Ukrainian offensive, stating that Kyiv's forces "have no chance" of overcoming his country's forces despite recently receiving Western tanks. His comments seem aimed at reassuring Russians at this critical juncture, nearly 16 months into the conflict, as Ukraine seeks to end a deadlock that has effectively lasted for months and regain 18 percent of its territory still under Russian control.
During the African peace mission in Ukraine, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa presented Putin with a 10-point peace initiative proposed by seven African countries, informing him that it is time for Russia and Ukraine to commence negotiations to end the war. Putin responded with a series of familiar accusations denied by Ukraine and the West, stating that it is Kyiv, not Moscow, that refuses to engage in talks. The Russian President thanked Ramaphosa for his "noble mission."
Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin expressed interest in the plan but "it is difficult to achieve." A day earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the African delegation, which visited Kyiv for the first time since the war began to have separate direct talks about the peace initiative, that allowing negotiations now would only lead to "freezing the war" and the continued suffering of the Ukrainian people.
The vast gulf between both sides was further underscored when Putin used a leading economic forum on Friday to personally insult Zelensky and reaffirm the aims of "disarmament" in Ukraine that he proclaimed on the first day of the war. Kyiv and the West reject those aims, deeming them a false pretext for invasion.
However, Ramaphosa sought to present a positive image of the visit to Ukraine and Russia, tweeting on Sunday that "The African peace initiative has made an impact, and its ultimate success will be measured by its goal, which is to stop the war." He added that African leaders will continue discussions with both Putin and Zelensky and will brief UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on their efforts thus far. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry noted that the African delegation does not expect immediate results from the talks, adding that it is "a beginning that we hope will bear fruit in the end."
