Ukraine said on Friday that the epicenter of hostilities remained in the east of the country, as clashes in the south renewed speculation that a major counter-offensive had been announced by Kyiv for months, AFP reported.

“The situation remains tense along the entire front line. The epicenter is in the east,” Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar reported in Telegram.

“The enemy continues to concentrate its efforts in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Manrinka,” she added, naming the settlements where fighting has been going on for a month.

As for southern Ukraine, that has remained elusive, although Moscow says fighting has intensified in Zaporizhia Oblast since Thursday, particularly around the town of Orihiv in the direction of Tokmak, a town 40 km south of Russian-occupied territory.

“The enemy is defending in the Zaporozhye direction. There are positional battles,” Malyar simply commented.

Ukraine has said for months that it is preparing a major counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territories in the south and east.

For many observers, renewed fighting in the south of the country is an indication that it is either ongoing or imminent.

Ukrainian military success in the Zaporizhia region would break the land bridge between Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula. It would be a big setback for Moscow.

However, in recent months, the Russian military has strengthened its position in the region, digging miles of trenches and preparing for a major offensive by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian forces have had some success near Bakhmut, but have suffered “significant” losses in personnel and heavy equipment, according to US officials quoted by CNN.

And Russia declares that heavy battles are taking place in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia with losses for Ukrainian troops

On Friday, the Russian military said heavy fighting was taking place in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, saying more than 21 Ukrainian tanks had been destroyed in the fighting at key areas of the front line.

A representative of the Russian group of forces “Vostok” reported that 13 Ukrainian tanks were destroyed as a result of hostilities in the Zaporizhzhia region, and eight in the Donetsk region. He reported fighting with artillery, drones and infantry.

Reuters says it cannot independently verify claims from the battlefield.

In a message on Thursday evening, Ukrainian President Zelenskyi said that “heavy fighting” is taking place in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, and his troops have “results”.

Russian military bloggers reported that there was fierce fighting on the Zaporozhye Front in the area of ​​the city of Orykhiv, as Ukraine tried to break through the defenses of the Russian Federation and create a breach.

On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoigu said that his troops repelled an attack by Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine at night.

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