Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced information about the unsuccessful attempt of the Ukrainian armed forces to break through the defenses in the Zaporozhye direction.

According to his report, the breakout attempt was made at 1:30 am.

"The enemy was detected in a timely manner, a preventive strike was delivered by artillery, aviation and anti-tank weapons", - says the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Shoigu further emphasized that as a result of the two-hour resistance, the Ukrainian military lost 30 tanks, 11 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as up to 350 personnel.

Meanwhile, the American media outlets The Washington Post and ABC reported on the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, citing military and Ukrainian officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

These reports note that Ukrainian troops, including strike units armed with Western weapons and trained in accordance with NATO tactics, have stepped up their strikes against forward positions in the southeast of the country, according to The Washington Post.