Ukrainian special forces have repelled a major Russian offensive in the direction of Kupyansk in eastern Bakhmut city, killing over 30 soldier and destroying 40 Russian fortifications, local media reported on Tuesday.
The operation was carried out by Chimera special unit, part of the Tymur Special Unit of Ukraine’s counterintelligence agency, the Main Intelligence Directorate, known as HUR. The video shared by the HUR in Telegram app shows the strikes on Russian command posts with UAV operations. The HUR reported that the assault killed 30 Russian soldiers, with 15 of them killed in a gun battle.
“More than 40 Russian soldiers were wounded by special forces, and two were captured. Additionally, reconnaissance units destroyed over 40 enemy fortifications and engineering structures,” the HUR reported. A Ukrainian sniper, speaking to Kyiv Post, stated that Russian forces make it difficult for Ukrainian servicemen to reach their positions, adding that reaching Russian posts was complicated without electronic warfare.
The operation in Bakhmut city in eastern Donetsk region came amid Russia’s relentless air raids across Ukraine in the two consecutive weeks. The massive air raids on capital Kyiv and southern Odessa cities on Tuesday killed two people and damaged residential buildings, including a maternity hospital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in May announced the Russian army was building a “security buffer” along Ukrainian border in a bid “to suppress enemy firing points”. Ukrainian defense sources suggest Russia may push to establish a 15-20 km buffer in Sumy and Kharkiv as part of a broader summer offensive.
According to General Viktor Sobolev, the goal is to push long-range Ukrainian weapons, like HIMARS, out of range.
