The Ukrainian Army has launched a counterattack along a relatively peaceful stretch of southern Ukraine in recent weeks, attempting to keep Russia’s military off balance even as it makes gains in Eastern Ukraine.
The offensive in the Kherson area, declared Sunday evening, breached a Russian line of defense, according to the military command, but it was not able to independently validate Ukraine’s claim. Meanwhile, Russian forces intensified their onslaught in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas area on Friday, employing artillery, rocket launchers, and aircraft to destroy fortifications surrounding Donetsk, according to Ukraine’s general command.
Russia has been employing massed artillery and armor to try to conquer more land in the Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk territories, which Moscow claims on behalf of separatists.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected rumours that President Vladimir Putin was unwell on Sunday (May 29), stating there were no symptoms of illness. Putin’s health and personal life are taboo issues in Russia, rarely mentioned in public.
In response to a query from France’s TF1, Russia’s top diplomat stated, “I don’t think reasonable people can perceive evidence of any type of disease or condition in this individual.”